Postnoon E-Paper for May 28th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 HYDERABAD

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 35°C

32 PAGES

Caffeine fixation

For some, coffee is more than just a drink. It is a culinary ritual, the first taste of the day and an afternoon reward. As coffee aficionados from across the globe attended the recently concluded Melbourne International Coffee Expo, we take a closer look at this brewed wonder.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

MAYOR, COMMISSIONER REPORT ON P6

PATCH UP

Jagan ‘expo’ boomerangs on TDP

TDP managers ended up shooting themselves in the foot with a photo exhibition on YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy — that too at the party’s biggest strategic conclave, Mahanadu. The plan to create aversion to Jagan style of politics backfired as crowds thronged to see photos of the YSR scion who is celebrating his first anniversary of incarceration.

25, 50ps coins banished? T’WOOD ACTORS UNITE The next time a vendor refuses to accept a 50 FOR A GOOD CAUSE paisa coin or a `5 note, make sure you call the legal metrology department to lodge a complaint. RBI officials say this practice of refusing coins of small denominations such as 25ps, 50ps or even the `5 note amounts to an offence under the currency Act as they are legal tenders.

Six months after Tollywood actors teamed up to play a charity cricket match to raise funds for women’s self-employment programmes and underprivileged children, they are all set to do it again.

P21

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

city events

RELATIONS AND REFLECTIONS

Relations and Reflections, paintings of Shambu Prasad Reddy will be on display at Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills till June 3.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

35°C

30°C

34°C

40°C

A mix of cloudy and clear skies.

Cloudy with chances of showers.

A mix of cloud and sun

A mix of cloud and sun.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 43 Max 34 Min 31 Min 29 Clear

Chances of storm

Chennai Max 38 Min 27

Bangalore Max 30 Min 21

Cloudy with chances of rain

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Somajiguda When: Till May 31

DINING

WORKSHOPS

Swimming lessons A swimming workshop for ladies and children is on. Where: Novotel, Hyderabad When: Till May 31

Game of bottles Attend bartending sessions by Tulleho. Where: odrej Nature’s Basket, Road No 36, Jubilee Hills.

Dancin' Party Dance boot camp will be held. Where: Steps Studio for Danz, Banjara Hills When: May 28, 6 pm to 9 pm Contact: 2339-6259

Food fest Afghani Pathani food festival will be held. Where: Hotel GreenPark, Begumpet when: 31st May to 09th June, 2013 When: May 30, 4.30 pm to 6 pm. Cold affair Flavoured iced tea on offer. Where: Seasons Bar, Taj Krishna When: Till May 31, 12 pm

Women empowered A self defence workshop for women will be held. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: May 28, 5 pm to 6 pm.

Ocean’s Eleven Eleven of the finest prawns are on offer. Where: Lacantina, Novotel. When: Till May 31, 7 pm to 11 pm

Summer camp Summer camp in quilling, stocking and punch craft is held. Where: Anahata Yoga Zone, Secunderabad When: May 22 to May 28, 10 am Contact: 90009-11808

SHOWS Movie time Applause by Martin Pieter Zandvliet will be screened. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills When: May 29, 4 pm Film fest Film by Arto Halonen Princess will be screened. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills

When: May 29, 6 pm

WHEN THE GOD’S PLAY CRICKET: A man dressed as Lord Krishna regales the crowd that had gathered at the TDP Mahanadu on Monday at Gandipet. M ANIL KUMAR

Where: Lacatina, Novotel

Frozen beverages A whole new array of soothing and relaxing diaquires.

GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints

198 155313

POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section

Cannes at Taj Cannes and French Riviera inspired menu. Where: Celeste, Taj Falaknuma

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

Palace When: Till May 28.

23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333

Fit for royalty Royal thali fest is on. Where: Aish, The Park Hyderabad,

WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills

Wet paper painting Wet paper painting workshop by Sakshi Mudaliar will be held. Where: Our Sacred Space, Secunderabad When: May 27, May 29 and May 31, 10.30 am to 12 noon. Contact: 9030013344 Photography workshop Photography workshop for kids will be held. Where: Treasure House, Banjara Hills When: May 27 to May 30 Contact: 23355118

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332 AIRLINES

Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7

Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

WILL INDO-PAK RELATIONS IMPROVE UNDER NAWAZ SHARIF? 42% 58%

YES (A) NO (B)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

POLITICS

Jagan behind bars at Mahanadu! TDP leaders now wonder if showing the YSRC chief and other politicians in prison was counter-productive and damaging the party’s image. M ANIL KUMAR

Party managers admitted the aim was to create an aversion to Jagan Mohan Reddy ‘variety’ of politicians, reminding people what would happen to those who indulge in corruption.

M ANIL KUMAR feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: It had the opposite effect. TDP managers who put up a photo exhibition of Jagan Mohan Reddy behind bars at Mahanadu are said to be regretting the hasty act. At the party’s conclave in Gandipet that began yesterday, a photo exhibition on Jagan’s travails drew huge crowds as many were wondering why this was done. Party managers

TODAY’S QUESTION

ARE DENIZENS APATHETIC TO ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION?

AROUND THE

CITY

admitted the aim was to create an aversion to Jagan ‘variety’ of politicians, reminding people what would happen to those who indulge in corruption. The exhibition displayed a picture of Jagan behind bars and his various traumatic moments with a caption that said ‘all those who indulge in corruption would end up eat-

ing jail food’. They had also displayed pictures of Mysoora Reddy and Dadi Veerabhadra Rao who left the party and wrote ‘what message are you going to give to the nation?’ Under the pictures of jailed IAS officer Sri Lakshmi and industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad, it was written that this would be the fate of all those who trust Jagan. Some party leaders now wonder if it had not had the opposite impact — instead of aversion it is sympathy it has generated, going by the huge crowds it drew. Likewise, as Mysoora Reddy is known to be an upright person, party leaders are stating that displaying the photos of Dadi and Mysoora might be counter-productive. They state that people may even think why they left the party and may develop sympathy for them.

Money matters rule candidate selection Following the footsteps of the Congress, regional parties are said to be keen on choosing winnable hands with sufficient moolah to foot election bill. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: While keeping money power off the electoral politics is a pet topic that engages the best brains in the country, the opposite is happening. Knowing well that election is not aam aadmi’s arena anymore, key political parties in the State are coming out with new strategies in selections of candidates. Most political parties are scouting for leaders with muscle and money power. Among them, the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Telangana Rasthra Samithi (TRS) have already started the process of selection of candidates by identifying winnable hands. According to highly placed sources from these two political parties, the most important criterion for selection of candidates remains only one — the financial position of the candidates, notwithstanding other factors. The attending factors are social status of the prospective candidates in terms of caste, mass image and the influence in society. Earlier, all the contesting candidates of MP (Lok Sabha) and MLA seats used to spend money from their own pockets and bear all the election expenses. But there is a departure from this usual practice. Now, parties have decided to shift the burden of expenses only on the Lok Sabha candidates who will be the patrons of the Assembly candidates and their expenses. This comes from the horse’s mouth. A TRS leader, who was offered a ticket to contest from a Lok Sabha seat in Telangana

region, told Postnoon in confidence that the trend was to go for candidates with moolah. He pointed out that similar was the strategy the Congress adopted too. According to this leader, he was asked to bear the expenses of all candidates contesting for Assembly. “I was offered ticket to contest from Lok Sabha. The party leadership asked me to spend liberal amount of money to raise the prospects of the party’s victory. They asked me to bear the elections

AROUND THE

CITY

expenses of the leaders who would contest in Assembly seat. This would mean I will have to bear the election expenses of seven candidates in my constituency,” he said. The change in party policy has come as a boon for leaders contesting Assembly seats. “I could not have expected more. I was finding it difficult to mobilise resources to contest the elections. But the decision of party high command would relieve me of this tension,” says a TRS leader who was offered a ticket to contest from an Assembly seat.

CITY BRIEFS Two injured in gang attack

19 in fray for civic panel polls

Written test for junior assistant post

21 emergency response teams constituted

Lokayukta says no to fish medicine

GOLCONDA: Two persons, Hafeez Khan and Azharuddin, suffered grievous injuries after a gang attacked them with knives on Sunday night at Moti Darwaza of Golconda. Police arrested two persons — Mohd Rehan alias Sonu and Abdul Moula — charging them with attacking the duo. Personal enmity is said to be the reason.

HYDERABAD: The Congress, the TDP and the BJP filed their nominations for Standing Committee elections to be held on June 6. While Congress officially put up eight candidates, two rebels G Shanker Yadav and J Devanand, have also filed nominations. TDP and BJP put up one candidate each. Total 19 candidates are in fray.

AMEERPET: City Civil Court Hyderabad is conducting a written test on June 2 for eligible candidates who have applied for the Junior Assistant Posts at TKR Engineering College, Ameerpet. Hall tickets are being dispatched. If anyone does not get hall tickets till May 30, he or she should approach court manager, City Civil Court.

HYDERABAD: Waterworks has constituted 21 emergency responsive teams to tackle high-alert situations during heavy rainy days to take precautionary on trunk sewers in areas under Operations & Maintenance Division I to XVII. The chief general manager (Engg.), O&M Circle No: III is the nodal ofﬁcer to co-ordinate with.

HYDERABAD: The State government on Monday received orders from the Lokayukta, to stop making any arrangement for the annual “fish medicine” that is to be given on June 8 and 9. AP Balala Hakkula Sangham filed a complaint that the government should not to waste public money in giving unscientific fish medicine to children.

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE The Jagan saga

ast year we had reported that attempted suicides, hunger strikes and violent protests rocked the State even as YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy was shifted to Nampally court for his hearing. Equally worshipped and reviled, Jagan managed to mobilise crowds even while standing trial. A year later, other political parties still worry about Jagan’s inﬂuence.

MAY 28, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

22,000

of the 1,80,000 annual deaths worldwide associated with sugary drink consumption is accounted for by Mexico, a Harvard University study found.

The right attitude with the right tools gives a child confidence to apply the (creative) thinking process to any life situation. Fathima Khader Certiﬁed parent coach on teaching kids to think See page 12

THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the world functions.

Be careful when you take potshots at your rivals. Putting up posters showing Jagan and other leaders behind bars at the TDP conference might have a counter-effect, as huge crowds gathered to discuss the unusual display.

Spain to keep an eye on sexual predators. Men convicted of gender-related violence will be under watch even after serving time, to ensure they don’t repeat their crimes.

Kiss kicks off gay debate in Bollywood. A kiss between two men in a mainstream Hindi movie gives us hope of shattering stereotypes and forming a more open society.

No end to domestic violence in the City. An ex-serviceman has been arrested for allegedly torturing his wife with burning cigarettes and harassing her for dowry.

16-year-old weaves through the web. Ethical hacker Rishal Dwivedi has been making waves in the computer world.

HEALTH

Creating awareness

A week-long awareness campaign following World Schizophrenia Day has brought the illness that evokes dread under focus. PADMINI C AND ALEENA ALICE feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Last week, a major date in the medical world passed us by unnoticed. But May 24, World Schizophrenia Day, should be an important day, given that one per cent of the global population today suffers from schizophrenia. Still, except for grossly exaggerated portrayals in popular culture, there’s little understanding of the illness. Sandeep (name changed) was a quiet boy and his parents thought that the reason he preferred spending time alone was because he was focused on his studies. When Sandeep was in Class XII, he started hearing voices that told him he was not good. He started believing that his parents were constantly watching him using secret cameras. His parents then took him to a psychiatrist who diagnosed him with schizophrenia. “Schizophrenia is a condition caused by a neuro-chemical imbalance, excessive production of dopamine in the brain, causing the patients to lose touch with reality and developing problems such as paranoia, dementia, isolation

AROUND THE

CITY

tendencies and delusions,” says Dr Arindan Chakrabarty, psychiatrist and medical officer at Asha Hospital. What makes schizophrenia particularly tragic is that it strikes early. Symptoms can be detected as early as 18 and starts affecting productivity of an individual by 25. While its exact markers are unknown, doctors that it’s partly genetic, triggered off by an individual’s physical environment.

Contrary to public perception, schizophrenia is not a hopeless condition. Depending on its severity and early diagnosis, it can be treated and even cured to a certain degree. Experts estimate that almost one-third of all patients, after treatment, are fully functional while another one-third are capable of social interaction. Though medicines are used in treatment, social support and care to a large extent will help in treatment more than medicines, say doctors. Though methods of treatment have progressed (reduction in number of side effects,

etc), problems relating to treatment are several. Few institutes are equipped to treat schizophrenia in Hyderabad, including the Institute of Mental Health, Erragadda, and Asha Hospital, Banjara Hills, with only 70-80 psychiatrists available for the treatment of patients that run into lakhs. Rehabilitation is another issue. With no aid from the government and no support from NGOs, individuals who have recovered still face social isolation. “They are at the peak of their productive years but are not let back into mainstream due to their condition. You don’t give up on a person when they lose a limb. Then why lose hope on someone who has temporarily lost control of their mental faculties,” says Dr Chakrabarty. Psychiatrist Dr Suman Mahesh says, “Integration of schizophrenics into mainstream society is important for the normalcy of the patient to return. One thing that has to be avoided is isolation. Caretakers should ensure the life lost to the trauma of the mental illness is regained.” Asha Hospital recently conducted a schizophrenia awareness week.

PARK STREET RAPE

Victim empowers survivors

Founded by her, the helpline ‘Survivors for Victims of Social Injustice’, helps women in distress, especially victims of sexual and domestic violence. KOLKATA: After struggling for more than a year to get a job, the Park Street rape victim has stood up against her circumstances and is now empowering survivors like her through a helpline. “I have this mission of empowering rape victims like me. With this job, I embark on a new journey,” she said, adding that the work is also helping her heal the past wounds. Besides handling the pain and the stigma after the incident last year, it was getting difficult for the 37-year-old single mother Anglo-Indian to raise her two children without a job. “I found her and her family distressed mentally and finan-

cially. So I offered her a job in the helpline,” activist Santasree Chaudhuri said. Founded by her, the helpline ‘Survivors for Victims of Social Injustice’, helps women in distress, especially victims of sexu-

AROUND THE

NATION

She is also helping in the preparation of a booklet on safety while travelling at night and dealing with the police.

al and domestic violence. “With the job a very big hurdle in my life is crossed. Also, by discussing our problems together we are trying to break the stigma. When we get ostracised by society it adds to our trauma,” the woman told PTI. Happy with her new job, the victim is determined to make a new career – that of a woman activist, and is keen to work for those who have been under the same circumstances as her. She is also helping in the preparation of a booklet on safety for women while travelling at night, which also guides them in dealing with the police and the legal system. PTI

Timeline n Victim was forcibly picked up from a pub at Park Street on February 5, 2012 and raped. n Cops mock her and question her morality. n CM Mamata Banerjee says the case fabricated to malign her government. n The case got complicated as the men had introduced themselves with fake names. n JCP, Damayanti Sen arrests three of the accused. She is transferred to a inconsequential desk job. n Two of the accused are still at large.

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

HIMALAYAN CLIMB

POPULATION PLANS

Spanish, Japanese climbers perish The people, who were part of a group comprising 21 climbers, were confirmed dead. KATHMANDU: Two climbers, a 67-year-old Japanese woman and a Spanish man, 50, and their Nepalese guide have died on Nepal's rugged Dhaulagiri mountain, expedition organisers said today (Tuesday). Chizuko Kono from Japan, Spain's Juanjo Garra and Nepalese guide Dawa Sherpa went missing on Friday as they attempted to climb the world's

seventh highest peak, the organisers said. Garra slipped and broke his ankle on the slope, organisers said, but it was not immediately clear what happened to Kono and her guide. "On Friday afternoon Mr Garra slipped and broke his ankle and couldn't walk any more," Tika Gurung, the expedition organiser told AFP, saying

AROUND THE

WORLD

that because it was late in the day an immediate rescue was not possible. Kono perished at an altitude of approximately 7,700 metres (25,262 feet) along with her guide, Dawa Sherpa. Gurung, who was guiding

Spain's Garra on his quest to summit the 14 highest mountains in the world, is currently being treated for injuries in a Kathmandu hospital. The remaining climbers in the group are safe. More than 300 people have died on Everest since it was first conquered by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in the year 1953. AFP

VALUELESS CURRENCY

City banishes 25, 50ps coins Refusal to accept 25ps and 50ps coins, and `5 notes is an offence but neither the people nor RBI make any effort to correct it, Postnoon finds out. RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The next time a vendor refuses to accept a 50 paisa coin or a 5 rupee note, make sure you call the legal metrology department to lodge a complaint. This practice of refusing coins of small denominations such as 25ps, 50ps or even the 5-rupee note that continues to bother the general public, RBI officials say amounts to an offence under the currency Act as they are legal tenders. The first in line to shy away from accepting small coins are general merchants and kirana store owners. Explains Mukesh Kumar, a store owner in Panjagutta, 50ps is usually neglected or replaced with another item during transactions. “We rarely have 50ps change, so we usually replace that with a small item like a chocolate or mint. That is how transactions usually work these days. And since there are very few of these coins in circulation, it does not make sense to accept them and never be able to get rid of them.”

Fetching a fortune

“N

A healthy yet unwanted `5 note.

N SHIVA KUMAR

obody appreciated it when I collected 1-rupee notes back in the 60s. Now, in the coin collector’s market, they can fetch me a fortune. The 1rupee note of 1964, ‘82 and ‘95 are in great demand because of the signatures of the finance secretaries and RBI governors. These can fetch me around `30,000 in the collector’s market,” said MK Ranjan. “The move to de-phase them is demand determinant and will not go by the functioning of local businesses,” he said. Reasons for phasing out these notes are also technical. Volume wise, the number of small denomination notes like 1, 2 and 5 rupees occupies a total of 60 per cent of the total 12 billion notes printed every year. However, their face value remains less than 10 percent inform RBI officials.

Suu Kyi slams 2-child limit for Muslims YANGON: Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (above), rights groups and Islamic leaders expressed dismay today over plans by authorities in western Myanmar to revive a two-child limit on Muslim Rohingya families, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists and comes amid accusations of ethnic cleansing. Over the weekend, authorities in strife-torn Rakhine state said they were restoring a measure imposed during past military rule that banned Rohingya families from having more than two children. Details about the policy and how it will be enforced have not been released, sparking calls for clarity and concerns of more discrimination against a group the AROUND THE

WORLD

UN calls one of the world's most persecuted people. "If true, this is against the law," said Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Suu Kyi has faced criticism for failing to defend the Rohingya following two waves of deadly sectarian violence last year. She told reporters she had not heard details of the latest measure but, if it exists, "It is discriminatory and also violates human rights." The policy applies to two Rakhine townships that border Bangladesh and have the highest Muslim populations in the state. The townships, Buthidaung and Maungdaw, are about 95 per cent Muslim. AP

While the 50ps coin presents a minor problem, the issue of the 5-rupee note is yet to receive clarity. Most businesses do not accept 5-rupee notes, declaring that the “banks don't take them anymore.” Countering this, officials from the RBI Hyderabad insist that no such move to phase out 5-rupee notes has

been undertaken so far. “In the case of phased out notes or coins, you will realise that it is only the coins below 25 paise that have been phased out. The 1-rupee, 2-rupee and 5-rupee as well as the 50ps coins are still legal,” said an official of the RBI. According to them, there is a long time for the 5-rupee note to be phased out as the RBI at the Centre is yet to decide de-phasing the 10 rupee note, which was first taken up.

6 labourers crushed to death under bore pipes

Soldier killed by colleague in Kashmir

Uddhav rules out truce with cousin Raj

Three persons killed in cracker explosion

BSF jawan injured in IED blast

THANE: Six labourers were killed and nine others grievously injured when a truck in which they were travelling overturned and the heavy bore pipes inside it fell on them, police said today. The incident took place in Torangan Ghat in Mokhada taluka here on Monday killing four labourers on the spot, while two others died en route to hospital.

JAMMU: An Indian Army soldier posted close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district was shot dead by a colleague following a verbal spat, police said Tuesday. Mukesh Kumar of the 33 Rashtriya Riﬂes was killed late Monday in Kalal area, about 150km from here, near the LoC that divides Jammu and Kashmir.

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Tuesday virtually slammed the door on efforts by his allies to attempt a patch-up with his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Thackeray said the existing grand alliance of Shiv Sena, BJP and Republican Party of India was working well.

BARABANKI (UP): Three persons were killed when an explosion occurred in a cracker factory in Bhitaria locality in Ram Sanehi Ghat area here, police said today. Shahid Ali (17), Hashmat Alam (14) and Ali Hussain (20) were killed in the incident that took place yesterday. All the victims were making crackers when the mishap occurred.

RAIPUR: A BSF jawan was today injured in an IED blast triggered by Naxals in Maoist-hit Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. The incident took place between Konde and Chhindpal village when the security forces were on an anti-mining operation in the Badgaon police station area of the district, a senior police ofﬁcial said.

AROUND THE

CITY

NATION BRIEFS

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

CIVIC

GHMC bigwigs patch up

GRAFFITI IN GERMANY

The tiff between the mayor and commissioner of GHMC has been resolved and the two seem to have struck a deal to work in tandem. The mayor wanted to know why there is a wide gap between budgeted costs and the actual. He thought officials were making a fool of people’s representatives and wanted an explanation. It is said Babu sat with the mayor and explained things to him resulting in the patch up. “The meeting lasted 45 minutes,” an aide of the mayor said. AROUND THE

CITY

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The weekly Prajavani, an interface programme between citizens and GHMC bosses, will work when the commissioner is present or flags when he is absent. It was evident that without the presence of either Mayor Mohd

Majid Hussain or the GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu, the programme remains lacklustre. Other officials lack motivation reducing it to a ritual. According to sources, the mayor and commissioner have buried the hatchet that cropped up between them following the ‘variation in the budget’ issue.

Following this, the Prajavani of May 20 in which the commissioner was present proved a huge success. He lent his ear to each public grievance for 10 to 15 minutes and that was the only day the programme lasted till 1.30pm. But in contrast was the May 27 Prajavani that was conducted sans the commissioner. Public relations officials did not

HEALTH

Dance: a new hope for Parkinson’s patients Parkinson’s patients can raise their mobility through dancing, according to a new study. MELBOURNE: Australia’s La Trobe University along with the University of Limerick and St John of God Hospital in Venice are conducting a global study in this regard, a La Trobe University statement said. From Irish set dancing to creative dance, Parkinson’s sufferers in Venice, Limerick and Melbourne are said to be enjoying the benefits of dancing. “Parkinson’s disease results in muscle rigidity and tremors making it difficult

AROUND THE

WORLD

THOMAS ATILLA LEWIS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

for sufferers to move,” Meg Morris, a lead researcher of the project at La Trobe University said. “We think dancing can improve mobility and reduce the number of falls in people with Parkinson’s disease.” “But following trials in Melbourne last year we found that Parkinson’s disease sufferers are “unlocked by dance”, and are able to move more freely,” Morris said. “Not only does dance help reduce symptoms, it also increases wellbeing, happiness and life quality among patients,” Morris said, adding, “Every week I hear from participants about how thankful they are for the dance classes and for the research we are undertaking.” PTI

ichael J Fox, Canadian American actor of the Back to the Future trilogy fame, was diagnosed with early onset of Parkinson’s disease. He later set up the The Michael J Fox Foundation to promote research of Parkinson’s. In his much-awaited, upcoming sitcom, Fox plays a news anchor suffering from Parkinson’s diseases.

give a clear explanation for his absence that day. Additional commissioners, led by K Dhananjaya Reddy undertook the exercise without showing much enthusiasm. Officially, there were 15 grievances heard on Monday’s Prajavani, while 12 grievances that were reappearances knocked at the doors of the GHMC. Most of them related to town planning, while some were for UCD (Urban Community Development) and estates. Some of the aggrieved were visiting for two months in a row. “Mine is related to land regularisation. Despite the commissioner visiting the site twice it has failed to resolve the problem. I have to come every Monday with these files,” said a senior citizen from Serilingampally. He did not want to disclose his name as he still held hopes with officials handling his case.

Mini drones to curb nuisance BERLIN: Germany’s railway operator plans to deploy mini drones to catch vandals who deface its trains with graffiti, with the aerial vehicles shooting thermal images of its train depots at night. Deutsche Bahn plans to soon start testing the vehicles which AROUND THE

WORLD

have four helicopter-style rotors and can shoot high-res pictures. “We are going to use this technology in problem areas, where taggers are most active,” a spokesman who asked not to be named told AFP. The rail operator said it would only use the drones over its own depots.

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

SOUTH KOREA

Cram schools probed over US test scandal Those found guilty face closure, tax audits and ban from opening new centres. JUNG HA-WON feedback@postnoon.com SEOUL: South Korean officials on Monday launched an investigation into cram schools after a cheating scandal that led to the nationwide cancellation of US college entrance exams earlier this month. The education office in the capital Seoul started the special probe into a number of private academies suspected of illegally obtaining questions for the SAT

South Korea sent 72,295 students to study in the US in the 2011-12 — the third largest after China and India. test and offering them to pupils, a spokesman told AFP. The administrator of the SAT — the most widely used test for

applying to US colleges — scrapped the scheduled May 4 exams after discovering questions were already circulating

among some test-prep schools. The College Board also cancelled subject tests in biology scheduled for next month. Those cram schools discovered to have leaked questions will face closure as well as special tax audits, with the owners banned from opening new schools for a certain period, it added. Cram schools for global tests — not to mention domestic college exams — are a lucrative industry in education-obsessed

ECONOMIC REFORM

AROUND THE

WORLD

South Korea, where qualifications from top colleges are crucial for careers and even marriage prospects. For nearly all their school lives, South Korean students study late into the night — often at costly, private cram schools — to stay ahead in the race for admission to top universities. AFP

LITERATURE

Will take hard decisions: PM Japanese industry sought improvement in tax regimes, further easing of priority sector lending rules to expand financial services and allowing opening of foreign bank branches in metropolitan cities. AROUND THE

WORLD

Government expects the growth rate in the current fiscal to be much better than in the previous year, hopefully around six per cent or so. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and japanese industry leaders pose during a photo session before a luncheon in Tokyo on Tuesday. AFP

TOKYO: India is committed to taking “hard and difficult” decisions in the long-term interest of the economy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today, while assuring Japanese industry that the long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime facing hurdles from states will be in place in an “appropriate

type” by 2014. On a mission to woo Japanese investors, Singh told leading business honchos at the Keidanren, the premier chamber of commerce and industry, that the present bilateral trade of $18 billion does no justice to the enormous potential that exists between the two countries.

The Prime Minister faced some searching questions from the Japanese industry which sought improvement in tax regimes, further easing of priority sector lending rules to expand financial services and allowing opening of foreign bank branches in metropolitan cities. “Our people have tasted the benefits of rapid growth and they will not settle for less. I want to assure you that our government is committed to take hard and difficult decisions in

the long term interest of our economy," he said. A top official of Mitsubishi corporation said Japanese investors faced difficulties with different tax regimes in each Indian state leading to complications and wanted to know the timeline by when GST regime will be implemented. “India is a federation and there are difficulties to bring states to agree to surrender tax power but I am confident we will overcome the hurdle. We will work and we have been working to persuade more and more states to fall in line but it does require amendment of the Constitution and needs much more energetic efforts than an ordinary piece of legislation," Singh said. The GST has been facing opposition from several nonCongress states which have accused the Centre of trying to encroach on powers of the states and that such a move would hit their finances. PTI

Amos bags Kafka award AROUND THE

WORLD

PRAGUE: Amos Oz, Israel’s best-known writer, was declared winner of this year’s international Franz Kafka literary prize for his imaginative life tales in the Jewish state. Oz will receive the award and a $10,000 (7,700-euro) cheque at an October ceremony in Prague. The 74-year-old, is known for his humourous and imaginative work that has been translated into more than 40 languages and received awards, like the Israel Prize for Literature in 1998 and Germany’s Goethe Prize in 2005. AFP

NEWS BRIEFS Tenth arrest made in London attack

Mexico launches unit to find thousands missing

China steals Australia spy agency blueprints

US F-15 crashes in Japan, pilot survives

S. Korea halts two more reactors for faulty parts

LONDON: Police investigating the murder of a soldier in London by two Islamists made another arrest on Monday, as 1,000 far-right protesters demonstrated near Prime Minister David Cameron’s ofﬁce. A 50-year-old man becomes the tenth person arrested for the death of 25year-old Lee Rigby, near a barracks in Woolwich on Wednesday.

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s government on Monday unveiled a new investigative unit to track down thousands of people who have gone missing amid a brutal drug war. Families have pressed authorities to ﬁnd their loved ones and the unit was formed after a dozen mothers held a nine-day hunger strike to force the government to act.

SYDNEY: Foreign Minister Bob Carr insisted ties with China would not be hurt after hackers have stolen top secret blueprints to Australia’s new intelligence agency headquarters, including cabling layouts for the building’s security and communications systems, and server locations. But he refused to conﬁrm China was behind the attack.

TOKYO: A US F-15 ﬁghter crashed in waters off Japan’s southernmost Okinawa prefecture but the pilot ejected safely, Japan’s coast guard said Tuesday. “We reached the scene to help, when we heard the pilot, the only person who was aboard, parachuted down and saw him safe, hanging on to something,” a coast guard ofﬁcial told AFP.

SEOUL: South Korea on Tuesday shut down two nuclear reactors and delayed the scheduled start of operations at two others as part of a widening investigation into a scandal involving fake safety certiﬁcates. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) added that the parts at all four reactors will have to be replaced.

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

THE ETHICAL HACKER

At 16, he’s a giant geek

Rishal Dwivedi of Hyderabad immerses himself into the world of computers and in no time emerges as a child prodigy in the cyber world, with many honours coming his way. NEHA DWIVEDI feedback@postnoon.com

ith cyber crimes rising in the City, the world of cyber security is under the police scanner . In 2012, nearly 500 cyber crime cases were registered in Andhra Pradesh . While majority opt to complain about it, Rishal Dwivedi, a 16year- old security researcher took a counter route and chose to immerse himself into the world of computers. At 16, Rishal Dwivedi has got his name etched in the hall of fame of many esteemed companies including Apple, Microsoft, Paypal, EBay, Oracle, ce Bbook and Nokia. "It started in 2012, when Facebook awarded me a bounty, I pushed myself to attempt things which nobody at this age could have imagined," says a beaming Rishal. Nokia has honoured him and his partner Manjot Singh by presenting them with Nokia Pureview 808 and Lumina 820. He is now expecting to make his name in Twitter and Blackberry. “I have sent them the vulnerabilities. I hope they contact me soon,“ says Rishal with a nervous anticipation. Rishal Dwivedi just completed his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya Trimulgherry and is currently hunting for colleges.

AROUND THE

CITY

“Hard work is his motto and his life starts at midnight,” says Geeta, Rishal's mother "I never saw him sleeping in the night. There were days when he didn't sleep at all. I used to berate him as his board exams were approaching but he wouldn't listen. By the time I could do something he had become a computer

addict," says a proud mother. With 3,051 likes on Facebook, Rishal Dwivedi was quite famous at his school, known as the guy who had won $500. “He was like one of us, a little younger though, not very good in studies, little reserved and a lot like a back bencher," says Prabhpreet, Rishal's classmate. While all his teachers complained about low grades, one teacher always encouraged him. "My computer sir never judged me by my grades and always

respected my talent,” says a gratefull Rishal . While computer wasn't his subject at school, he was very close to his computer teacher. " I didn't know about Rishal until his sister told me about him. I was quite curious to meet him. He took time to open up to me,” says Satish Mishra, Rishal's computer teacher, who at times had to argue with other teachers for Rishal. "I am proud of him. He is one of his kind,” he say. Asked about his further plans, Rishal says, "Like any other teenager I am still confused. I guess I will do BCA.” Expecting him to opt for a fantastic job? He has other plans, "I plan to open an institute that would provide courses in cyber security. There is no dearth of talent, but hackers often seem to choose the wrong path,” he adds. Talking of another passion, “I love photography. Hyderabad looks breathtaking at night and that is when I start my photography session,” says Rishal, who has a bunch of photographs to his credit. The Mumbai-born boy adds, “I have been living in Hyderabad for past 14 years and I am a pucca Hyderabadi. I plan to go to Bangalore for my further studies but Hyderabad will remain my first home, says Rishal with a hint of nostalgia in his tone. “I am going to miss this City."

UK BEHEADING

Oz troops warned of copycats SYDNEY: Australia's defence chief warned military personnel to avoid known trouble spots and be extra vigilant to the possibility of copy-cat attacks after the grisly murder of a soldier in London. General David Hurley ordered all forces to adopt enhanced security, including what they reveal about themselves on social media, following the brutal killing of Lee Rigby by two Islamists. The attack has fuelled community tensions in Britain, with several mosques attacked and a charity reporting a surge in anti-Muslim incidents. AFP AROUND THE

WORLD

Australia rapped over 'grave lapse'

ustralia's border security came under fire after an Egyptian asylumseeker wanted by Interpol was held in minimum security and a Sri Lankan accused of murder was released into the community. The cases, outlined in parliament by immigration officials, were condemned as a grave lapse of policy by the conservative opposition, with immigration spokesman Michael Keenan warning of similar potential cases.

SIGNS OF CHANGE?

Kiss sets off gay debate in B’wood films UDITA JHUNJHUNWALA feedback@postnoon.com MUMBAI: Bollywood film Bombay Talkies (in pic) is billed as a milestone not only for marking 100 years of Indian cinema — it is also one of the country’s few mainstream movies ever to have shown a gay kiss. The centenary film, which had a special screening at Cannes, comprises four self-contained short stories by directors. The short film from director Karan Johar features a kiss between a young man and his best friend’s husband as part of an exploration of sexual identity and marital discord. While such scenes in the past

may have elicited catcalls in India's populist single-screen theatres, this time the kiss has been winning applause from audiences, according to gay rights advocate Nitin Karani. “That’s a positive reaction, which may indicate that society AROUND THE

NATION

is more ready than film producers when it comes to gay stories,” he said. And with one of the characters in the kiss played by ‘sex symbol’ Randeep Hooda, the film “shatters stereotypes faster”, Karani believes.

In another of the short stories, director Zoya Akhtar shows a young boy exploring his feminine side by emulating and dressing up as Katrina Kaif, his Bollywood heroine. The tales in Bombay Talkies have sparked debate over such issues in Bollywood, where homosexuality has long been kept in the closet — or portrayed in stereotypical roles. Vajir Singh, editor of trade magazine Box Office India, believes that a conservative society will take time to warm up to such themes. “If a brand-name filmmaker or actor were to make a gay love story, people would watch it. But you need a brand,” he said. AFP

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

POLITICS

ESCAPE ARTISTE

Oz guards lose German jewel thief in Bangkok SYDNEY: Australian immigration officials confirmed Tuesday that a German jewel thief transiting through Bangkok under escort managed to escape his guards and flee the airport in an embarrassing bungle. Carlo Konstantin Kohl, 25, was being extradited to Germany via Thailand when bad weather forced an extended stopover at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport and his Australian guards decided to take him to a transit lounge. During the overnight layover, Kohl, convicted in Australia of stealing opals, drug AROUND THE

WORLD

trafficking and wanted for skipping parole in Germany, managed to give his escorts the slip and escape the airport. Immigration department chief Martin Bowles confirmed the May 15 incident but denied Thai media reports that the two guards, from a private firm that

A Thai police probe concluded the guards fell asleep and Kohl fled by slipping through a fire exit door he disarmed by disconnecting the electricity. runs Australia’s immigration security, were asleep. “Contrary to media report the escorts were not asleep — (that’s) what I’ve been told,” Bowles told a parliamentary hearing. Conservative Senator Eric Abetz blasted Bowles for the “pretty big and embarrassing issue for Australia as a nation, let alone for the department administering this”. According to Thailand’s Bangkok Post newspaper, Thai police were not informed that Australia was transiting Kohl through Suvarnabhumi. “All the bureau can say now is that the suspect is not in the airport,” Suwichpol Imjairach, division two chief of the immigration bureau, said. The Sydney Morning Herald said a Thai police probe had concluded the guards fell asleep and Kohl fled the airport by slipping through a fire exit door he disarmed by disconnecting the electricity. AFP

Mush to face treason trial? The PML-N has decided not to spare the former army chief who had overthrown the government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999. LAHORE: The incoming PMLN government is ready to hold the trial of former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf over charges of treason, a party leader said today. The caretaker government that conducted the May 11 polls had refused to initiate proceedings against Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution for treason because of its limited mandate, but the PML-N has decided not to spare the former army chief who had overthrown the government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999. “Yes we have decided to try Musharraf for treason in the Supreme Court. Musharraf had violated the Constitution and he should face the music," PML-N parliamentarian Tariq Azeem said.

One killed, six injured in Pak blast ISLAMABAD: The son of a member of an anti-Taliban militia was killed and six others were injured in a roadside bomb attack in Swat in northwest Pakistan today. The bomb was detonated by remote control while Jaja Mian, a member of the Mingora Aman Committee or anti-Taliban militia, was driving through Manglor area of Swat valley. Jaja Mian’s son was killed instantly by the blast. Six others, including Jaja Mian, were injured and were taken to a hospital in Saidu Sharif town.

AROUND THE

WORLD

Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif was very clear about trying Musharraf for violating the Constitution, he said. “Sharif has made it clear that he has no personal issue with Musharraf but he should be

tried for breaking the law and violating the Constitution," Azeem said. The caretaker government recently informed the Supreme court of its inability to conduct the trial of Musharraf. It told the apex court it could not take any controversial step

that would be irreversible for the incoming elected government. The PML-N won the general election and Sharif is set to become premier for a record third term. Musharraf is currently being held at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad, which

has been declared a “sub-jail". He is facing charges over the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in a 2006 military operation and the detention of dozens of judges during the 2007 emergency. PTI

HEALTH

Obesity weighs down Mexico With changing eating habits, hike in consumption of soft drinks and greasy meats have made obesity pull down the public health system. YEMELI ORTEGA LUYANDO feedback@postnoon.com MEXICO CITY: Artemio Martinez balanced his corpulent frame on a stool in local street taco stand, downing a sweet soda and eating pork-filled corn tortilla. The damage for his wallet is relatively light, but Mexico is paying a heavy price for its diet, giving it the dubious distinction of being the world’s top consumer of sodas and home of the world’s second most obese population after its giant northern neighbor, the United States. Alejandro Calvillo, director of the Consumer Power nongovernmental organization, said the free trade pacts credited with helping Mexico’s economy grow have stuffed the country

AROUND THE

WORLD

with less healthy foods. “There has been a change in eating habits that has sharply increased in the past 20 years, with a bigger infiltration of the processed foods industry” like bubbly soft drinks," Calvillo, whose NGO lobbies for the regulation of such foods, told AFP. The Mexican government

announced it would implement a strategy to combat obesity. The country’s weight problem is becoming a burden on the overstretched public health system, estimated to cost the country $11.7 billion by 2017. The most common reasons for hospitalizations in Mexico are heart attacks, high blood pressure and diabetes. To deal with the problem, several clinics offer free and cheap gastric bypass surgeries, a procedure that reduces the size of the stomach, but Leticia Bautista, a psychologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said the surgery “is a life opportunity” for the obese. AFP

Bulging statistics n Mexico’s obesity rate soared from 9.5 percent in 1988 to 32 percent last year in the nation of 112 million people, according to the National Medical Academy. n The sidewalks of this oversized city of 20 million people are dotted with taco and sandwich stands selling tortillas or bread stuffed with an array of greasy meats. n The country accounts for 22,000 of the 180,000 annual deaths worldwide associated with sugary drink consumption, a Harvard University study found. n Mexico guzzles down 163 liters (43 gallons) of soda per capita per year, according to a Yale University study.

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

CRIME

Hubby tortures wife with lit cig An ex-serviceman, who harassed his second wife with a burning cigarette in the greed for dowry, is now puffing away behind bars. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The society’s total lack of sensitivity towards dowry demand and domestic violence has yet again come to light, when an ex-serviceman Anas Osman Al Jabri alias Salman, 40, was arrested by the Chandrayangutta police on Monday from his house in the Malakpet area while he was trying to escape following a torture and dowry case. Inspector A Srinivas Rao said the cruelty of Salman would shock any conscious person. In spite of being married and having children, he proposed a second marriage to his cousin and her parents, without batting an eyelid, agreed to it. It was thus Hajira came into his life with a fat dowry. More the dowry, greater is the harassment, the inspector observed

URBAN SHOCKER

Newborn saved from toilet pipe

AROUND THE

CITY

In spite of being married and having children, he proposed a second marriage with his cousin, and the parents without batting an eyelid agreed to it. as a general rule. Salman is a resident of Moinbagh Eddi Bazaar and he had worked with the defence for some years. At the second marriage with Hajira, her father Habeeb Jan, who runs an agarbatti factory, had given cash, gold and other valuables worth

`7 lakh. The complainant Hajira informed the police that for the past five years, her husband, father-inlaw, brother-in-law Yaseer and other relatives, Abdul Kareem and Mohd Jameel, who run a Unani clinic, had harassed and tortured her for more dowry. As she could not get more, her husband is said to have begun the pastime of burning her body parts with cigarettes after muffling her mouth with rags. Police found several burn marks on the victim’s body, after she was subjected to a medical examination during the police investigation. The police officials, during their inquiry, also revealed that he first married Sahima of Santosh Nagar, and after two years, Sahima’s parents encouraged her to divorce him, following cruelty and greed for dowry.

SEA WARRIOR

China newborn baby was rescued from a pipe after being stuck there for two hours. BEIJING: A newborn baby boy was rescued from a sewage pipe in a Chinese apartment building after being flushed down a toilet, state media said. Residents in Jinhua, Zhejiang, called firefighters after hearing the two-day-old baby crying in the fourth-floor squat lavatory, the report on Monday said. Firefighters and doctors spent nearly an hour taking the tube apart piece by piece with pliers and saws and finally recovered the newborn, whose placenta was still attached, the report said.

AROUND THE

WORLD

From the time he was found to when he was taken out, the baby was stuck in the tube for at least two hours, it added. The 2.3-kilogram (fivepound) boy suffered some cuts to his face and limbs and his heart rate was low at one point. He was put in an incubator and was in stable condition, the report said. Police were still looking for his parents, it said. AFP

This undated handout picture released by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force shows the JMSDF amphibious plane US-2. Japan is close to signing an agreement to supply the amphibious planes to India, in what would AFP be the first sale of hardware used by the military since a weapons export ban was imposed.

COMPETITION

281 youths vie for top US spelling honour

WASHINGTON:The 86th annual National Spelling Bee kicks off on Tuesday with 281 youngsters from eight nations putting their ability to spell some of the most obscure words in the English language to the test.

Sponsored by the Scripps media group, the three-day competition at the Gaylord National Resort outside Washington is an American institution that’s been won for the past five years by teenagers of South Asian heritage.

AROUND THE

WORLD

“The Scripps National Spelling Bee is not only a competition but also a cultural cele-

bration of the English language. The mission is to inspire children to improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies and develop correct English usage," said its executive director Paige Kimble. Thursday’s final will be

telecast live on the ESPN sports cable channel. This year for the first time, the 116 contestants of whom speak more than one language will be challenged on the ability not only to spell a word, but to know its meaning as well. AFP

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

UNDER THE SCANNER... FOR LIFE

Women abusers to be constantly watched MADRID: Those sentenced for gender-related violence in Spain, after doing their time in jail, will be set free but put under constant surveillance. This is one of the chief measures of the National Strategy against Gender Violence, whose basic elements were presented

AROUND THE

WORLD

on Saturday by Spain's secretary of state for social services and equality, Juan Manuel Moreno, and which includes 258 measures to "isolate" offenders com-

pletely and give victims all the help possible. The plan is funded with 1.5 billion euros ($1.9 billion) and will have a duration of four years, which is to say, it will be launched this year and will continue until 2016. The plan seeks, among other objectives,

SHANGHAI’S SOLUTION

IANS

EMBARGO GOES

Procuring biofuel from recycled oil China’s commercial hub has chalked out a plan to convert ‘gutter oil’ into fuel to power the city’s commercial vehicles.

SHANGHAI: China's commercial hub Shanghai plans to turn recycled cooking oil, some of it seized by authorities, into an environmental asset by converting it into fuel for vehicles, state media said on Monday. The country has been rocked by a series of food safety scandals including the re-use of waste oil recycled from restaurants and called "gutter oil" in Chinese. The Shanghai government plans to co-operate with a local university and six companies to produce biodiesel from used oil to power the city's buses, taxis and trucks, the China Daily newspaper reported.

to improve the institutional response to the abuse of females, to bring to light other kinds of violence against women — such as forced marriages — to train and raise awareness among the agents involved in the programme.

AROUND THE

WORLD

Tongji University, one of China's most prestigious, has been experimenting for the last three years to create the ideal mix, the report said, but did not detail the scale of the plan. In 2011 China arrested 32 people over the sale of "gutter oil", which could contain carcinogens and other pollutants. Shanghai has also cracked down, in March implementing rules on proper disposal of waste oil and qualifications for collectors. "On the one hand, we empha-

Pick

sised cleaning up illegal oil collectors. On the other, we looked for ideal ways to use the recycled oil," Yan Zuqiang of the Shanghai Food Safety Committee was quoted by the China Daily as saying. When the gutter oil scandal emerged in 2010, experts estimated that people in China consumed two to three million tonnes of the illegally recycled oil every year. The revelation forced the nation's food safety watchdog to step up its inspections, but experts said the business was extremely profitable. China's food industry is notorious for safety problems despite regular government crackdowns. AFP

at the

Ban on arms to Syrian rebels lifted CLAIRE ROSEMBERG Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS: The European Union agreed on Monday to lift its embargo against arming Syrian rebels, but no member state intends to send any arms in the coming months for fear of endangering a US-Russia peace initiative. After a gruelling 12 hours of talks in Brussels, British Foreign Secretary William Hague announced the deal to lift the arms embargo against the rebels, while maintaining the remainder of a far-reaching two-year package of sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Without such a deal, the entire set of sanctions, including an assets freeze on Assad and his cronies, and restrictions on trade in oil and financial transactions, would have lapsed at midnight on Friday. However, splits within the EU were exposed. Britain and France championed the lifting of the arms embargo while Austria, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic were reticent about pouring more arms

Britain and France championed the lifting of the embargo while Austria, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic were reticent.

airport,

AROUND THE

WORLD

into a conflict that has already cost some 94,000 lives. To send arms is "against the principles" of Europe which is a "community of peace", said Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, a longtime outspoken opponent of the move. A French official in Paris stressed that "this is a theoretical lifting of the embargo. In concrete terms, there will be no decision on any deliveries before August 1". Such a delay will allow for the planned US-Russia sponsored international peace conference on Syria, which it is hoped both the Assad regime and opposition figures will attend next month. The deal agreed in Brussels leaves the decision to supply arms to the rebels up to each nation. Ministers nonetheless vowed to stick to safeguards against misuse and to respect EU rules on arms exports.

News TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

TEACHING YOUR CHILD TO THINK

Fathima Khader, a certified parent coach who is involved in effective childcare programmes for parents and teachers, talks about how children can be taught to think. She is the founder of SynergE India, which specialises in designing customised training programmes. ARUNIMA RAJAN arunima.r@postnoon.com Is it possible to teach a child to think? It is believed by many that a child cannot be taught how to think, but this is wrong. Thinking is a skill or a tool that can be learnt and sharpened during a child’s development years. Creative and critical thinking are two basic skills that can be learned and practised through simple steps. With changes in cultures, lifestyles and exposure to media, a child has a lot of information, but limited ways to process it. Is school the ideal place to teach thinking? A child learns to think primarily from two important influencers — parents and teachers. The real purpose of education is to have individuals who can think independently, are compassionate and can use their potential to make this world a better place. At schools, children are trained to look for just ‘one right answer’, limiting their potential to think and analyse. This system discourages children to think for themselves, leaving them with no confidence to try his/her skill. What is the difference between reactive and proactive thinking? Does our school system promote proactive thinking? Reactive is derived from the word react, which means ‘in response to’. Reactive thinking is more of a crisis-based thinking, which focuses on the circumstances that one experiences. Proactive thinking is thinking ahead and anticipating changes or problems in future. As much as schools would want to promote proactive thinking, the focus on grades sidelines the learning of this important aspect. Schools should take time out to teach children to be organised and systematic, which will make them proactive. They must

help students write down work or school schedules, block different times for study, meals and recreation. Can you share some generally held misconceptions about fostering creative thinking? Some children are naturally creative and some are not. We all are creative to some degree but the environment (school and home) does not allow a child to tap into their full potential. This form of thinking centers on number of factors, like experience, skills learnt, motivation, value of perseverance and encouragement received. However, there are a few misconceptions about developing creative thinking in children. Misconception 1: Being creative is a talent. It is true that some children are naturally curious, hold active imaginations and are constantly trying to explore. But

AROUND THE

CITY

all these capacities can also be obtained through developing formal techniques. Just as a child can be trained or coached to play cricket, the ability to think creatively can be nurtured. If we don’t do anything about it, then one has to depend on natural talent. Some will still be more creative than others, as is the case with any acquired skill. Misconception 2: Only artists are creative. Creative people also practise medicine, work as engineers, scientists, educators and entrepreneurs and are still creative in their own ways. Creativity is about creating something in relation to ideas, learning and perceptions that applies to most life situations. Misconception 3: Tools and techniques restrict creativity in children. The mind of children is free from patterns, allowing them to use their creative intelligence

easily. However, as they grow, patterns are formed, thereby limiting them from fully exploring their creativity side. It then becomes important to introduce tools and techniques that focus on consciously applying creative thinking. A hammer is just looked at as a tool that is used to fix things; language simply becomes a formal skill that allows one to express feelings and thoughts. But using creative thinking tools promote problem solving and expressions. How can parents instill the right attitude in their child? An attitude is also a derivation of a thought. A healthy thought gives way to a healthy attitude and forms the basis of one’s personality. Parents and teachers influence the attitude of a child to either to be independent, confident or vice versa. Attitudes of an effective thinker are as follows: n Be persistent n Be an empathetic listener n Have flexibility in thought n Be non-judgmental n Have a sense of curiosity n Be open-minded n Draw conclusions from past experiences n Be confident to explore options and make mistakes n Have open communication What are bad attitudes that children have that prevent them from thinking properly? Negative thoughts and attitudes discourage children from constructively thinking. Know-it-all and don’t-care attitudes stop children from exploring ways to deal with situations effectively. A child’s attitudes reflect the relationship he has with himself and the people in his world. Children also keep exploring their self-confidence and every experience redefines their own self-worth. Every unpleasant experience makes them question if they are good enough. A negative mind nurtures negative thoughts and hence results in negative experiences. What sort of learning tools can be used to instill right values in children? Values is basically our judgment of what is important and what is not, what is good and what is not and what is right and what is not. Experiences, relationships and connection — especially during the early years of childhood — form the foundation of value systems. These are learnt every day and with every interaction a child has with their outside world.

How to instill the right attitude in children n Encourage decision making skills: Allow children to make choices and small decisions at home. This gives them confidence to think, analyse options and understand consequences of the choices they make. n Trust their choices: Children learn best from experiences and mistakes. Hence as a parent, it is important to place trust in the choices they make and guide them. n Allow inquisitiveness and questioning: Parents at times find it difficult to give answers to their child’s growing questions and subconsciously discourage them to question further. Be ready to answer their simple questions on whats, hows and the whys. Questioning is a sign of intelligence and shows the child

There are no tools that one can use to teach right values. A value system is not only passed on from parents or learnt from school, but is also redefined and developed through personal experiences. Can thinking out of the box be learned and developed? Thinking out of the box is a skill that can be acquired. Many educators attempt to teach creativity by encouraging the attitude of ‘freedom’, but this is not enough. The right attitude with the right tools gives the child confidence to

is thinking. n Perseverance: Allow the child to pursue ideas and thoughts regardless of the difﬁculties and obstructions. As the old saying goes, encourage them to keep trying till they succeed. n Open mindedness: Be willing to review your own opinions, beliefs, thoughts and attitudes before putting it forward to your child. Be open to further information, inputs and views from your own child before suggesting options to them. Be open and allow them to openly state their point of view. n Honesty and integrity: It is important to be honest and think fair especially on opposing point of views. Appreciate the willingness to accept the possibility of being wrong.

apply the thinking process to any life situation. Do parents often misjudge the ability of children to think? Absolutely. Parents and educators need to realise that the purpose of education is to make children think, analyse and develop problem-solving and decision-making skills. You will be surprised how children use simple thinking processes (common sense) to solve complex issues in their lives. All they need is a chance and the right support.

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

Business

VENEZUELA OPEN TO OIL PRODUCTION CUT Venezuela would be open to an oil production cut if the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided it was necessary to help maintain prices, Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said Monday.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

FIRMS BID FOR CLUB MED

All in one basket

They make grocery shopping much easier and all this at the click of a mouse. Vipul Parekh of Bigbasket.com tells us how it is done. PARIS: The two main shareholders of upmarket holiday group Club Mediterranee, including a Chinese ﬁrm, said on Monday that they would make a bid for the company, driving Club Med shares up over 20 per cent. The two bidding companies, AXA Private Equity and Chinese conglomerate Fosun, said that their bid would be friendly and involved top Club Med managers. The bid would be pitched at 17.0 euros per share, representing a premium of 28.4 per cent on the average share price over a month, the two bidders said in a statement.The terms value the holiday company at about 540.6 million euros ($700 million).

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

usiness should be in sync with time and never should be ahead or fall behind it. VS Sudhakar, Hari Menon, Vipul Parekh and VS Ramesh started Fabmart in 1999, one of the first e-commerce stores in the country. Despite the popularity, the business was unable to tap the large Indian retail customers, who were mostly offline due to poor Internet and e-commerce infrastructure. As the founders realised how unfavourable the e-commerce ecosystem was, they moved to physical retail to tap the larger market. After more than a decade, in September 2011, the same group of people along with Abhinay Choudhari reunited and started Bigbasket.com, an online grocery store, to offer home delivery for groceries and vegetables. However, this time, the business took off well and is growing by around 25 per cent (month on month) as it was in sync with the times. They also have plans to scale up their operations to tap the large Indian retail customer base. The business is actively operating in Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Talking about the idea, Vipul Parekh, says, “Although, there were many online grocery stores in 2011, they were unable to deliver the entire range to all the localities. We aimed to offer the entire range of products and deliver to every nook and corner of the City. The idea is to bring a hypermarket online, which will enable the customer with great choice and they also have it delivered at home free of charge. As of now we charge `25 for delivery if the order falls below ` 1,000.” The founders invested $1 million to fund the business initially. They further

NUMEROLOGY

$8.7

Abhinay Choudhari, VS Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh, Hari Menon and V S Ramesh (left to right)

raised $10 million from Ascent Capital in February 2012. Unlike, the big e-commerce start-ups, the business did not spend aggressively on market-

ing or on discounts. “Our focus is to provide quality products and grow by word of mouth. For instance, when a big van goes to an apartment, a few peo-

Doing the Math Growth rate: (month on month) Number of orders per day: Average order value: Average margins : Revenues:

20-30 per cent 2,000 `1,400-1,500 20-22 per cent `25 crore (2012-2013) Estimated revenues: `100 crore (2013-2014)

Customer base 60,000

Bangalore Mumbai Hyderabad

30,0000 14,000 16,000

Expansion plans By March 2014: Delhi and Chennai By December 2014: In another five cities Operational Breakeven: March 2014 (Mumbai and Hyderabad), September 2013 (Bangalore) Grocery retail size: `1,70,000 crore Online grocery market size: `1,000 crore

ple see and want to try it. Once the buyers see the value in getting the products delivered at home, they turn into regular customers. “We tend to focus on quality and not on discounts. The products are similarly priced as a normal supermarket chain but are fresh comparatively due to fast and efficient sourcing and deliveries. We source the products based on the system forecast and mostly finish the supply and delivery cycle in 24 hours whereas the products in general super markets reach customers anywhere in between 48 to 96 hours,” he explains. The company invested heavily on technologies for fast and efficient deliveries. “Every van is connected to GPS and the system decides the route and deliveries for each of it. The technology also manages the inventory level and the orders,”he adds. The 600-employee company is also planning to expand its operations to Chennai and Delhi by March 2014.

GOLD `26,600 10g SILVER `43,600 1kg

24C

for

DOLLAR `55.74 POUND `84.20

will be spent by Canadian pharmaceutical company Valeant to acquire US eye health company Bausch & Lomb, becoming a behemoth in the burgeoning eye care sector.

JAPAN IS TOP CREDITOR TOKYO: Japan kept its position as the world's largest creditor nation for the 22nd straight year in 2012, government data showed Tuesday, as the dollar's gains helped inflate the value of overseas assets. Tokyo was followed by mainland China and Germany in third place in the ranking, which reflects the difference between the value of assets held abroad, including foreign debt and property, minus a nation's liabilities, such as foreign purchases of its own debt and domestic assets. In Japan's case, net overseas assets stood at 296.3 trillion yen at the end of last year, or $2.9 trillion at Tuesday's rate, from 86.32 yen at the end of the year, according to the finance ministry. Japan's currency has tumbled since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept landslide December elections on a pledge to boost the world's third-largest economy with a plan that includes big government spending and aggressive central bank monetary easing, which tends to weigh on the unit.

BSE 6,071.80 NSE

20,021.97 08.80 11.35

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

Comment Romance should never begin with sentiment. It should begin with science and end with a settlement. Oscar Wilde Playwright

France to hold first gay marriage tomorrow

he first gay marriage in France was to take place Wednesday in the southern city of Montpellier, amid fears of protest after months of opposition that saw tens of thousands take to the streets. The country's first gay couple to marry will be 40-yearold Vincent Aubin and Bruno Boileau, 30, in Montpellier, known to homosexuals as the "French San Francisco" because of its gay-friendly reputation. Boileau is keenly aware that the nuptials at Montpellier's town hall — which follow a fiveyear relationship — will be a media circus with at least two cabinet ministers and 600 people attending, including 130 accredited journalists. "It could be intimidating," Boileau said. "But we will try to retain the spirit of the goal — equality for all. That Mister or Miss Anybody can get married in the town hall." The marriage vows have been honed down to a simple: "Do you take this man as your spouse?" After the ceremony, the newlyweds plan to publicly thank those who battled for homosexuals to have the right to marry. But the local administration has banned festivities outside the venue, fearing protests. France is the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage, an issue that has also divided opinion in many other nations. According to a survey published Sunday in the Journal du Dimanche, nearly three-quarters of French people are tired of the anti-gay marriage protests and think they should stop. AFP

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Chinese hackers have reportedly stolen plans for a new $600m Australian spy headquarters as part of a growing wave of cyber attacks against business and military targets of the US ally. Have to give it to China... the country seems willing to do anything on its way to the top of the world.

PRICE OF PROGRESS

SICK WORKERS PAY FOR CHINESE GROWTH CAROL HUANG

Agence France-Presse

s China boomed around 200 men set out from Shuangxi's rural idyll to build its infrastructure and skyscrapers. Now lung disease from dust has killed a quarter of them and 100 more are waiting to die. Back home amid rice paddies and forested hills, Xu Zuoqing walks outside and his face contorts in pain from the effort. As he struggles to breathe, his wife rushes over a stool so he can recuperate. "It's like my lungs are being choked. My chest feels so tight," says the 44-year-old who worked on construction sites for about 15 years, his voice strained at times. "I just wish I could die comfortably... Well, I wish I didn't have to die." China's more than three decades of roaring growth, which propelled it to become the world's second-largest economy, have been built on a huge supply of cheap migrant labour from the countryside — currently 230 million of them. But safety standards are poorly enforced and according to experts, millions of those workers are now ill with pneumoconiosis, the incurable lung

disease that has crippled Xu. It comes in various forms, from the asbestosis suffered by builders to black lung disease, which affects miners. Official statistics say China has had 676,541 cases of pneumoconiosis, or 90 percent of all work-related illnesses, but campaigners say the actual total could be as high as six million. A fifth of the recorded victims have already died. Pneumoconiosis often lies undetected for years, so that workers at mines, quarries, factories and construction sites prolong their exposure to dust building up in their lungs, until they find it agonising to work, walk or even breathe. Poor rural families lose their breadwinner and are left instead with hefty bills for medical care that can only dull the pain at best — the government only covers basic healthcare and companies rarely pay compensation. "You can delay the progress of the disease through certain drugs and treatments, but... it is basically a death sentence," said Geoff Crothall, spokesman for the Hong Kong-based advocacy group China Labour Bulletin. "You're talking about three to four generations affected by the loss of the major breadwinner of the family. And often it's not just one member of a family. We have many cases of fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins all being affected."

In Shuangxi, a village of several hundred people in the central province of Hunan, cases of illness are steadily becoming fatalities. Xu's brother passed away in February, leaving his five- and 12-year-old children to be raised by their grandmother. Xu worries about his own little ones, currently 10 and 12. "I hope they finish school," he says. "I hope they grow up fast." The preferred destination for the men of Shuangxi was the boom town of Shenzhen bordering Hong Kong, where they found work drilling and blasting holes on construction sites, enveloping themselves in swirls of dust with only flimsy face masks for protection. It was not until the late 2000s that the hazards began to emerge — as one by one they grew too weak to work, and the first of the sick died.

But they are among the better-off victims. In 2009 they took the bold step of returning to Shenzhen to demand compensation, holding sit-ins that gained public sympathy. After months of bargaining, many received 70,000 to 130,000 yuan from the government while a handful with proper records got up to 290,000 yuan from an insurance scheme. Nationwide, only an estimated 10 to 20 per cent of pneumoconiosis victims can secure payouts. For most, by the time their illness becomes apparent they have lost any paperwork proving their employment, or the companies have closed, or changed hands, or simply deny liability. Even for those who succeed, compensation quickly dwindles with daily cocktails of medicines, oxygen machines, injections and emergency hospital stays several times a year.

EDITORIAL Tough lessons for Jagan in a year’s stay in jail

SR Congress MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s one year anniversary marked on May 27 in the Chanchalguda jail comes as a surprise. For an ambitious youngster and son of a star politician, the inability to get bail with the country’s top lawyers from Ram Jethmalani to Harish Salve handling his case seems riddled. Before Jagan had tasted power in political life he had to quit his rich past and leave his party confused. The timing is odd as Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu is brimming with confidence about returning to power in Andhra Pradesh. The conspiracy theory of the Telugu Desam and Congress against Jagan has grown in the resignation of ministers Sabitha

READERS’ VIEWS

Indra Reddy and Dharmana Prasada Rao after their names figured in the CBI charge-sheets probing Jagan’s quid pro quo investments case. His supporters believe that the CBI is being used to witch-hunt him. A strong businessman and politician is paying the price for not toeing the AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s line. Post five charge-sheets, when the country’s highest courts have refused him bail repeatedly, it cannot be political vendetta alone but a clear case of a clever mind plundering public wealth for private use. Despite a series of wins in by-elections, Jagan’s long stay in jail has raised questions over his party’s performance in the 2014 General Elections.

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

workplace

GOOGLE FACES FRESH PROBE

Internet giant Google is facing a new anti-trust probe involving the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that could look into whether the company is abusing its dominant position in the online display-advertising market to gain an advantage over competitors and block rival’s ads.

RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE

HERE’S THE DOPE

Someone to do the dirty work PADMINI C padmini.c@postnoon.com

APPRAISAL BLUES

hen we were children, my brothers and I would run to the bus stand and see all the people coming and leaving the village. We used to dream of coming to the city and building a bright future. But when I finally left my village, it was because there were no rains, our crops had failed and our animals had died. By then I had nothing left to eat, nothing to sell. So I got on the bus and came to the city. But I didn’t have any skills except farming and I didn’t know anyone, so I didn’t get any jobs. Because of my caste, I was treated badly. Then a contractor asked us to sift through the garbage cans and collect plastic bottles, bottle

After twelve months of hard work and performing better than expected, causing more benefit to the company than your colleagues, you are treated in the equal realm as others, in spite of it all. You are appraised by the same amount as others. Doesn’t feel right, does it? Does your company reward you as an individual or the profits it has earned through you? Does your company appraise your compliance or capability? KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com

“I

have been working at Capital IQ for about six years. Every six months, we are appraised for our performance with a variable compensation which is a portion of our CTC. It varies from 1517%. But the annual hikes are not satisfactory. Irrespective of our performance, the hike is more or less uniform for us all,” says Pranay. Not rewarding an employee in turn affects the overall performance of the company. “It doesn’t motivate you to do more than required. I wish appraisals were more focussed on individual growth rather than an annual exercise,” he says. As Head HR of such a corporate set up in the banking sector, Divyashree explains

how she draws a balance between individual and company growth. “I discuss with each employee and review his/her performance since last appraisal. We judge both compliance and capability, and of course, we see if the employee’s goals are in line with the company’s.” Even then, at times, certain employees feel that they deserve more. “Out of 1,000, we get only a couple

of such demands, which reflects well on them because they are ready to be reviewed by the seniors.” According to Rudra Matsa, CEO of RME (an animation production house), it is most beneficial to the company when employees are duly given their due. She explains how, “I raise their pay by 20-50% in four to six months. If you let the individual grow, your company grows. My Chief Creative Director has been with us since 2007. The company started with a couple of projects, and

now we are working at seven projects all of which are supervised by him.”s An employee, thinks of settling in life and has a strong reason to stay longer on the job. This is a healthy practise because such an employee understand the company’s functioning and finds it easier to have faith in the management in tough times. “It is always good to encourage someone who shows leadership qualities. They set examples for others to follow into,” adds Rudra. Bringing forth an interesting view, Taruna, a news channel reporter says, “Some of us are appraised only for encouragement. So they can feel motivated to try harder.” Looks like companies need to be more empathetic while appraising, if it aims for great returns in the longer run.

crowns and such for which he said he will pay `50 a day. The first few times were terrible. The smell was horrible and a glass piece cut into my hand. I felt like an animal, scavenging for anything useful along with rats and dogs. With time I got used to it. Because of the work, a lot of us get diseases but we don’t have money to get treated. Many of us end up drinking to forget it all. Sometimes, we get lucky. There will be packets of unopened food or leftover alcohol. Once, I even found a gold ring. I sold it and used the money to admit my children in school. I got a job with GHMC, so things are better. But I’m making sure that my children are never going to grow up like this and will never have to do what we do. People look at me and think what I do is disgusting but I only have one reply — someone has to do it. Because, if I won’t, who will?

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

spotlight

DANCE MASTI

Steps Dance Studio is presenting a Dance Boot Camp. Learn Salsa, Hip Hop and Zumba from a New York-trained instructor and get a certificate. People above the age of eight can take part. Be there at Door No. 8-2675/1/B, Plot No.16 Road No 13, Banjara Hills today from 6pm-9pm. S BALAKRISHNA

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN

OPENING UP DOORS

Australian Minister Commercial (South Asia), Nicola Watkinson, inaugurated ‘Kshetra’ – a home for the seniors. Heritage a pioneer in elder is behind Kshetra. The home is an independent and assisted living facility for the seniors.

BUBBLE JOY Summer Green resorts at Sharmirpet bore a very inviting look as Veeresh and Shweta Mor held a party full of foam and fun.

1 Mala 2 Sweta, Ruchi 3 Sarita, Kishan 4 Shruthi, Amit 5 Sweta, Pankaj

LUXURY FOR YOUR HOME Actress Meenakshi Dixit was spotted at the launch of one of the world’s best selling luxury, German designer, upholstery Zimmer & Rhodes at Darpan’s Furnishings third luxury store at Chandanagar. The furnishings are made from Indian silk.

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

health

70 NATIONS SEEK ACTION AGAINST CERVICAL CANCER With cervical cancer projected to kill nearly half a million women by 2030, stakeholders from more than 70 countries came together Monday to seek an urgent call for action against the disease. The global forum was hosted by 30 international partners, including the health ministry of Malaysia. IANS

VITILIGO

Dealing with

leucoderma I

n 2010, NYDailyNews carried an article on legendary pop star Michael Jackson’s autopsy report that confirmed he suffered from vitiligo. One to two per cent of the population worldwide suffers from vitiligo, a skin disease; in India, four to five per cent of the population suffers from this, and in some states, it even goes up to eight per cent, according to information provided by the Indian government’s press information bureau. Leucoderma is the lack of pigmentation or whitening of the skin. There are various causes for localised whitening of skin, as listed in the table. The most common cause is vitiligo. Vitiligo is idiopathic, ie,

the reason for developing the symptoms is not knows. There are been reports time and again of patients being shunned or shying away from treatment because of the myths associated with the disease. Doctors say various treatment options are available today.

TREATMENT The treatment depends on whether it is localised or generalised vitiligo. For localised vitiligo, creams containing steroids or psoralens (a chemical found in some plants) can be used, said Dr Shah, onsultant dermatologist, Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills. “You have to expose the skin to the sun after applying psoralens. Growth factors can

In India, four to five per cent of the population suffers from vitiligo. Many patients still shy away from treatment due to misconceptions associated with the disease.

be used to get the colour (of the skin) back.” She said in extreme cases, where the disease spreads quickly, drugs, immunomodulators, oral steroids, oral psoralens or puvatherapy (psoralens combined with UVA exposure) is given. “Those who cannot get sufficient sun exposure can buy UVA lams or go to puva chambers.” Various graft and melanophyte surgeries (cell which gives colour to skin are taken from another site grafted in the affected area) are available, which are costlier, she said. “Treatment depends on how the symptoms started. Almost 30 per cent of the patients have a family history of vitiligo,” Dr Shah said.

DEEPASHRI VARADHARAJAN

deepashri.v@postnoon.com PRODUNIS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Whitening of skin can be caused by n n n n

Light therapy can be used to treat vitiligo.

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

Burns Certain skin diseases that leave white marks Radiation Certain chemicals, especially for those who develop photographic films People who work with grease and oils for prolonged periods Vitiligo Dr Radha Shah

HOUSECALL

Ocean Sounds

Achalasia

The ocean sound app to aid sleep, study and relaxation. Many years were spent collecting sounds from different locations for this app. This is the best way for you to hear them while you work or relax. They are effective to cut out some background noise. You enjoy and beneﬁt from this collection. itunes.apple.com

Achalasia means that your gullet has lost its ability to move food along and the valve at the end of your gullet fails to open to allow food to pass into your stomach. As a result, food gets stuck in your gullet. Normally, this muscle relaxes when you swallow to allow the food to pass into your stomach. In achalasia, this muscle does not relax properly and the end of your gullet becomes blocked with food. nhs.uk

DID YOU KNOW? Kale eases lung congestion Kale eases lung congestion and is beneﬁcial to the stomach, liver and immune system. It contains substances which protect the eyes from macular degeneration. It also contains indole-3-carbinol, which may protect against colon cancer. Kale is an excellent source of calcium. mercola.com

PIONEERS René Favaloro Dr René Gerónimo Favaloro was an Argentine cardiac surgeon best known for his pioneering work on coronary artery bypass surgery. Favaloro got interested in the developments on cardiovascular interventions and thoracic surgery. He founded the Fundación Favaloro in 1975 along with other collaborators. He took great pride in having trained over 450 residents from all over Argentina and the Americas. en.wikipedia.org

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

Technology WILD IMAGINATION The data theory There are three theories for what it's like inside a Poke ball once a Pokemon is caught n n n

treating the pokemon either inhumanely or as objects

The data theory The physical size theory The ideal environment theory

Each individual environment should also include the following amenities:

a shower

a TV

a bed

workout a poke a training equipment masseuse dummy

a hot tub

a photo of their trainer

The physical size theory

Pokemon are convertPokemon are shrunk to fit ed to energy and data. inside the Poke ball. They The Poke ball acts like end up being crammed Both a USB drive for the of these the- in there waiting to be Pokemon let out. ories rely on

Which one do you think is actually the case?

What's it like in a

The first Pokemon game came out in 1996 and since then it has turned into a major franchise. However, there is still a lot of controversy on what it must be like for a Pokemon to live in a Poke ball.

The ideal environment theory An ideal environment is created within the Poke ball for the captures Pokemon. Ideal environments consist of an ample supply of their favourite food and imagery of their natural habitat.

POKE BALL?

WHAT NEXT SAMSUNG? Samsung has just announced a new event that will be used to “premiere” new mobile devices for its Galaxy and ATIV portfolio. The unveiling will take place on June 20 at Earls Court 2, London and be livestreamed over on its corresponding YouTube channel. The teaser poster includes three snapshot images that could give readers a tantalising glimpse at what the new devices will look like. Rumours of a smaller Galaxy S4, appropriately named the Galaxy S4 Mini, have been circulating for some time now, although the moniker is so strong – and synonymous with Android – that it’s also possible we could see multiple devices being announced simultaneously.

GRAND THEFT

Designs for many of the America’s most sensitive advanced weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, according to a report prepared for the Pentagon and to ofﬁcials from government and the defence industry. Among more than two dozen major weapons systems whose designs were breached were programmes critical to U.S. missile defence and combat aircraft and ships, according to a previously undisclosed section of a conﬁdential report prepared for Pentagon leaders by the Defence Science Board.

Phew that’s fast! The basic mechanism behind noise-cancelling headphones could boost both the speed and reliability of Internet connections by 400 times, according to researchers that published ﬁndings via Nature. Photonics Noisecancelling headphones use a microphone to pick up any outside noises within range of your ears. It then sends an inverse set of sounds picked up by the background noise to cancel it out. Researchers think they can essentially do the same thing with ﬁbre optic cable Internet, which uses light waves to transmit data. However, this requires a lot of power to make the process fast, and this results in lots of “noise” that would otherwise slow down Internet speeds and reliability.

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

Entertainment JOINING FORCES

CINE BYTES

actors unite for a good cause

Shriya Saran’s Pavitra set to release on June 7

hriya Saran’s upcoming film Pavitra is going to hit the screens on June 7. Directed by Janardhan Maharshi, the film is reportedly inspired from a real incident where a prostitute goes on to become a city’s mayor. This is Shriya Saran’s first big film in more than a year after Life Is Beautiful. Pavitra is going to be released in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.

Jagapathi Babu dubs for Kaalicharan

agapathi Babu has rendered a voice over for Sri Prawin’s upcoming ﬁlm Kaalicharan and we hear that he’ll set the tone of the ﬁlm right in the beginning. The duo had earlier teamed up for Gaayam 2. Kaalicharan stars Chaitanya Krishna, Chandini, Pankaj Kesari and Kavita Srinivasan in lead roles. Nandan Raj has scored the music.

MMS’ logo launched

ix months after Tollywood actors teamed up to play a charity cricket match, to raise funds for women’s self-employment programmes and underprivileged children, they are all set to do it again. In the past, Telugu film industry had organised several events to raise funds for several initiatives and few years ago, nearly everyone joined hands to contribute to the flood relief programme. This time, as many as thirty five actors from Tollywood have teamed up to support an initiative to support education of rural girl child. The actors,

divided into two teams, are going to play a charity T20 cricket match on June 9 in Vizag to raise funds for this cause. The event is the brainchild of an event management company named Team Solution Factory. The initiative named Light A Life Cricket Cup was formally launched last week and Telugu film actors Srikanth, Tarun, Allari Naresh, Prince, Sudheer Babu and Harshvardhan Rane graced the event. Srikanth Reddy, Managing Director of Team Solution Factory, said, “This match will raise funds to support initiatives of Tulsi Gramodyog Seva Samiti

This match will raise funds to support initiatives like education of rural girls and an educational institute for differently-abled. Srikanth Reddy, MD of Team Solution Factory

(TGSS) including supporting education of rural girls, an old age home and an educational institution for differently-abled challenged people at Adilabad in 50 Acres land, which government has allotted in 2009.” Nani, Sharwanand, Allari Naresh, Tharun, Srikanth, Aadarsh, Harshvardhan Rane, Prince, Sudheer Babu, Tanish, Ajay are some of the actors who will be playing the charity match and Charmee, Aksha, Kamna Jethmalani, Veda, Soniya, Madhu Shalini, Sanjjanaa are going to cheer for the respective teams. Baba Sehgal is going to perform at the stadium.

anasu Maya Seyake, an upcoming film starring Prince, Sethu, Disha Pandey and Richa Panai, is gearing up for release later this year. Suresh P Kumar has directed this film and Manikanth Kadri has scored the music. The film’s logo was launched recently in the City and the movie is also being simultaneously shot in Tamil.

Entertainment TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

HITTING THE JACKPOT

Salman’s leading lady is Jacqueline

CINE BYTES

I can't bear reality TV: Saif Ali Khan

hree of Bollywood's famous Khans — Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir — have already had a taste of the small screen, but Saif Ali Khan is happy being distant from it. "I don't know about acting on TV. I feel we need great content on TV. I feel there's a need for content for young boys. I can't bear reality TV. Why would I want to watch all of that?,” he asks. IANS

Emraan's midas touch impresses Altaf Raja

inger Altaf Raja, who is making his comeback with the song titled Jholuraam in Emraan Hashmi starrer Ghanchakkar, says the actor has ability to make things successful. "Whatever Emraan touches, it turns into gold. He is one star who probably has the most number of hit songs picturised on him in the past ﬁve years," he says. IANS

acqueline Fernandez is on a new high. This Sri Lankan beauty has in her kitty a role opposite Salman Khan. She and not Deepika Padukone will play the leading lady in Salman Khan's upcoming film Kick. Sajid Nadiadwala will be directing the movie and he confirmed the news about Jacqueline role in the movie . Buzz around the movie is that Sajid Nadiadwala has also roped in renowned international names like cinematographer Alexander Witt and stunt director Phillipe Guegan and Spiro Razatos. After Kick releases, this Sri Lankan beauty is bound to go places. The film expected to go on floors from July this year.

Sonakshi to star opposite John in Welcome 2

ollywood's very own Rambo will be teaming up with Sonakshi Sinha for the Welcome sequel. The pairing was made after John Abraham expressed his desire to work alongside Sonakshi. Kainaat Arora will replace Mallika Sherawat in the movie. The news had emerged a few weeks back that John Abraham and not Akshay Kumar will be part of the sequel of Welcome.

Entertainment TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

A CHILD AT HEART?

CINE BYTES

ndrew Garfield continued shooting The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in NYC with a special little castmate. He took a seat with actor Jorge Vegas, who plays young Peter Parker in the superhero sequel, and shared a few words and laughs between takes. Andrew and Jorge shot scenes together, while elsewhere on set Paul Giamatti — who plays one of the film’s resident villains, The Rhino — got geared up for more action-filled shoots. While Paul channeled his inner bad guy, it’s clear Andrew has taken a liking to working, and playing, with a younger crowd.

Ben Affleck receives honorary doctorate

ongratulations are in order! Ben Afﬂeck received an honorary degree from Brown University. The Argo star attended the graduation ceremony and was lauded for his work as a director, actor, writer and producer. Maybe we’ll have to call him Dr Afﬂeck now, since the Rhode Island school awarded him a Doctor of Fine Arts degree.

Robert Pattinson moves back home

oving out and moving on. Robert Pattinson was seen removing his belongings from ex-girlfriend Kristen Stewart’s Los Angeles pad last week and it seems like he’s starting to get settled back into his own home just a few miles away. The Twilight hunk, moved back into his Spanish-style villa over the holiday weekend.

Ryan Gosling gets handson during the shoot

ANDREW GARFIELD meets his Mini Me on set

yan Gosling has been burning the midnight oil while working on his directorial debut entitled How To Catch a Monster. The ﬁlm has been shooting on location in Detroit, Mich., where the Movement Electronic Music Festival has been going on this holiday weekend. Gosling decided to ﬁlm at the concert Saturday evening and was seen concentrating on capturing the perfect shot.

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

A successful individual typically sets his next goal somewhat but not too much above his last achievement. In this way he steadily raises his level of aspiration. Kurt Lewin

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

SUDOKU How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Oft-heavenly scent 6 Beaded calculators 11 Blame 14 Oohed and ___ 15 Defender of Castle Grayskull 16 ‘Colourful’ Vietnam seaport 17 Smallest US state, in area 19 Ruckus 20 Trade-___ (some used cars) 21 Weeder's tool 22 Wrestling success 23 Keep from overheating, as an engine 27 Some discriminators 29 Homer says it a lot 30 Big-horned butter 32 Car dealer's personal car, often 33 Partook of 34 Saw socially 36 What certain jets avoid 39 Gangsters' rods 41 Apply, as sunblock 43 Woman with the same two notes? 44 Compound found in perfume 46 Mexican currency 48 ___ code (number on a letter) 49 Suds in a mug 51 1/100 of a euro 52 180 from WSW 53 Got palsy-walsy 56 Type of swimmer's kick 58 Vole kin 59 Decay-fighting org 60 Plumbing pipe with a right angle 61 None's opposite 62 Imitation diamonds 68 Word suggesting a name change 69 28-Down's book 70 What Met tickets might be for 71 Be on the side of caution?

72 Penned up, like pigs 73 Banister attachment

DOWN

1 Bern river 2 ‘Sis-boom-bah!’ alternative 3 Outburst of surprise 4 Ambulance worker 5 Tonsil's neighbour 6 Sighs of relief 7 ‘The Fresh Prince of ___-Air’ 8 Nursemaids, in India 9 Used a birchbark craft 10 Librarian, at times 11 Says with great enthusiasm 12 IRS ordeal 13 Lowly laborers 18 Line on a weather map 23 ‘Time is money,’ for one 24 Itty bits 25 ‘Gone With the Wind’ character 26 Slow down, as rainfall 28 Muslim leader 31 Three-masted sailing ship 35 Amounts prescribed by doctors 37 Kind of acid found in protein 38 Redder, as a tomato 40 Appear 42 Present times 45 They may be snide 47 Blue-veined cheese 50 Like fiery pokers 53 Bird found in marshes 54 In better health 55 Milk and butter purveyor 57 Incline 63 Scottish turndown 64 Ultimate point 65 Unopened in the box 66 Old start for ‘now’ or ‘long’ 67 Erie Canal mule, of song

Chai Time TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 29-5-2013

As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Businessmen make drastic changes to ensure good profits. Children will make you proud. You are likely to get a memorable gift from very close friend. Be cordial with the spouse and ensure that she doesn’t change the good intentions she has.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Spouse will be co-operative. Though enemies try to tarnish your image you remain unscathed. Son will excel in studies and get your affection and gifts in abundance. Some have bright chances to add new valuables to their household.

Children co-operate with you and show improvement in studies, which makes you cheerful. Be careful while driving and avoid speeding. Purchase of household gadgets makes your spouse happy. Offspring is on the way for newlyweds.

Businessmen need to put in a lot of efforts to improve. Health problems need to be attended to immediately. You will take children out on jolly trips, cheering them in the process. Avoid going back to old blunders of your spouse even as a joke.

A harmonious situation prevails at home. Influx of visitors makes you cheerful and spouse also takes care of them to their satisfaction. Businessmen will make sincere efforts and put in hard work to ensure that they earn big profits in a short time.

Couples will be more affectionate. Praise the spouse to make her cheerful. Health looks fine. Happy events likely to take place at home. Businessmen increase profits even with minimum investment. Employees get due recognition.

Avoid unimportant travel so that health improves. You will feel proud when your son or daughter gives you suggestions, which if implemented will yield good results. Avoid over working; relaxing in between work improves health.

Businessmen improve with the help of friends and relatives. You clear a major portion of the haunting debts and get partial relief. Be careful while allowing your children to play with valuable articles. Spouse will help you with her savings.

Employees complete all responsibilities given to them in time. With patience you will be able to reduce the adamance of your children. Travel and expenses will increase; reduce them with good monitoring and effective planning.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Knight of Swords – You may be prone to certain allergies. So you must be responsible and avoid behaviours that might trigger off these health problems. Take care.

LEO:

Page of Pentacles – You’re in for a delicious treat from your mother or someone elderly in the family. They prepare your favourite delicacy and you get nostalgic.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Queen of Pentacles – You need to look at the larger picture when it comes to a problem. The broad ideas and the whys and whereofs will give you answers.

SAGITTARIUS:

Nine of Cups – This is a lucky phase. Singles are likely to meet someone interesting and this person plays a significant role in your perception.

TAURUS:

The Hanged Man – You may be paired up with someone who you don’t like. This is a new learning experience for you. Separate the person and professional.

CANCER:

The Chariot – You are in for a surprise during lunch today. You either meet someone interesting or you find your favourite dish in the lunch box.

VIRGO:

Queen of Swords – You need more sleep and need to develop better sleep hygiene. Go to bed at the same time every day and unwind before bedtime.

SCORPIO:

King of Wands – You may be a threat to someone at the work place. This person is going to exclude you from his/her circle. You will not be isolated, though.

CAPRICORN:

Eight of Swords – A project or plan may have to be stalled because of technical reasons. It actually works in your favour. You get breathing space.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Ten of Cups – There is a big heap of work to be finished. If it was not done till now, only you are to blame. Start working on finishing the list off, one at a time.

NUMBER GAME

Swords – Just skimming the surface won’t do as you grow higher in the job hierarchy. You have to get down to the details and be thorough.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Four of

POOCH CAFE

Businessmen make use of the favourable situation to improve even with nominal investments. Moderate income is possible through ancestral property. You need to adopt healthy food habits to avoid deficiency. Spouse gives you importance.

for 29-5-2013

King of Cups – Be a consistent performer, even if your performance in each financial quarter is moderate. In the long run, this quality is more reliable and needed.

NON SEQUITUR

A jolly trip with family members likely. Stay away from enemies of your relatives to keep them happy and to earn a name. Written-off old dues will get collected for businessmen, which will ease their deficit financial situation.

SUDUKO

Enemies seek your help indirectly. You extend help to your blood relatives and make them comfortable and happy. Travel will be successful. Be patient while correcting your children of their bad habits and ensure that they are treated politely.

Boggle ITALY SPAIN FRANCE POLAND GERMANY Vol: 2, No 312 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

WORLD TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

WATCHING

Cannes votes for the colour Blue! VALERY HACHE-AFP

For the first time in the history of Cannes, a film which has an LGBT theme at its core has won the Palme d’Or. Aniruddha Chatterjee writes more about why the award to Blue Is The Warmest Colour is a daring move. ANIRUDDHA CHATTERJEE feedback@postnoon.com

n what has been termed as a daring move by the jury at Cannes this year, Abdelatif Kechiche‘s Blue Is The Warmest Colour, a lesbian-themed film, won the Palme d’Or award. At a time when there is a raging debate over legalisation of samesex marriage, especially in France, this award is indeed a historic moment. The same weekend, there were massive protests all over France against gay marriage and 350 people were arrested. Despite the liberal stance that French audience and filmmakers have taken towards sex in cinema, this is the first time that a French film based on an intense romance between two women has won the top honours at Cannes. Among other big newsmakers, Coen Brothers made a big splash with their latest film Inside Llewyn Davis and Asghar Farhadi’s The Past is a worthy followup to his Oscar-winning Iranian film A Separation. Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox became the first Indian film to win an award at Cannes in fourteen years. Here’s a brief list of some of the best of Cannes that I managed to watch.

YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL The story of a teenage girl

coming to terms with her sexuality. What really sets the film apart is the sensitive yet nonjudgmental handling of the subject by Ozon. But Marine Vacth’s performance as Isabella is the real tour de force. She literally owns the film, a feat considering the fine line her character is treading.

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Everything is pitch perfect in what could be the most un-Coen Brothers film of their career. The film is about a week in the life of Llewyn Davis, a supremely talented yet hapless folk singer in early 1960s New York. It is masterful the way Coens combine dark humour and music.

THE BASTARDS Claire Denis’s film is one of the most twisted neo-noirs in recent times. It starts as a simple revenge drama in a dysfunctional family but slowly goes into the bleak zone of sexual abuse. A difficult watch as flashbacks and flash-forwards keep happening throughout. The mood piece benefits greatly from the haunting background score and low-lit cinematography.

THE LUNCHBOX With his first feature, Ritesh Batra hits it out of the park. A tender relationship tale between a lonely housewife and an accountant on verge of retirement, that starts thanks to the misplaced dabba. LOIC VENANCE - AFP

And the award goes to... FEATURE FILMS Palme d'Or La Vie D’Adèle Chapitre 1 & 2 (Blue Is The Warmest Colour) by Abdellatif Kechiche Grand Prix Inside Llewyn Davis by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen Best Director Amat Escalante for Heli Jury Prize Soshite Chichi Ni Naru (Like Father, Like Son) by Kore-Eda Hirokazu Best Screenplay Jia Zhangke for Tian Zhu Ding (A Touch Of Sin) Best Actress Bérénice Bejo in Le Passé (The Past) by Asghar Farhadi Best Actor Bruce Dern in Nebraska by Alexander Payne CAMERA D'OR Ilo Ilo by Anthony Chen presented in the Directors' Fortnight SHORT FILMS Palme d'Or Safe by Moon Byoung-gon

Adèle Exarchopoulos (L), Léa Seydoux (R) pose with Abdellatif Kechiche after winning Palme d’Or for their film Blue Is the Warmest Colour

Special Mention Hvalfjordur (Whale Valley) by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson and 37°4 S by Adriano Valerio

Irrfan Khan is brilliant as usual, but it is Nimrat Kaur who steals the show with her performance. It was the best Indian film at Cannes this year and it totally deserved the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award. At the end of the festival, two scenes are stuck in my head. The first is from Francois Ozon’s Young and Beautiful. Lying on the bed next to each other, Charlotte Rampling caresses Marine Vacth’s cheek as Marine slowly falls asleep. The other scene that stayed with me is from Claire Denis’ The Bastards — a deeply unsettling, yet hypnotic scene, where three people in a selfdestructive mode, slowly turn off the lights of their car driving on a highway. These images are of such contrast, one being selfdestruction and the other in a way, redemption. But, that’s the magic of cinema! Now we wait for another year to see what’s in store at the next Cannes. But do remember, blue is the colour at the movies this year! (Aniruddha Chatterjee is a software professional-turnedfilmmaker. His short film SATI is selected at the Short Film Corner at Cannes. He is currently working on a documentary about the peaceful co-existence between cobras and humans in a village in West Bengal, India.)

sports

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

NBA

INDY 500 Kanaan collects $2 mn from win

Parker-powered Spurs reach finals San Antonio Spurs beat Memphis to complete a playoff sweep and advance to the NBA Finals. MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Tony Parker netted 37 points, his highest-scoring game of the season, and the San Antonio Spurs defeated Memphis 93-86 on Monday to complete a playoff sweep and advance to the NBA Finals. The Spurs finished a 4-0 rout of the Grizzlies in the best-of-seven Western Conference final and reached the NBA finals for the first time since 2007, when they swept LeBron James-led Cleveland for their fourth title in nine seasons. “It seems like forever since we have been there,” said Spurs star big man Tim Duncan. “We have been driven and we’re glad to get back there.” French guard Parker, briefly knocked out of the game by a slap to the face, made 15-of-21 shots from the field and had six assists and four rebounds in powering the Spurs to their sixth playoff triumph in a row. “I’m glad we’re done with them. They are very physical,” Parker said. “Now we have a week off. That will be nice.” The Spurs, who have never lost in the NBA Finals, will face the Eastern Conference winner, either James and the defending champion Miami Heat or the

Indiana Pacers, in the best-of-seven championship series starting on June 6. San Antonio, which would have a homecourt edge over Indiana but not Miami, won the NBA crown for the first time in 1999 over New York and also took the title in 2003 over New Jersey, and 2005 and 2007 over Detroit. Coach Gregg Popovich and Duncan, a three-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, have been on every Spurs team to reach the championship series. But this time, it might just be 2007 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Parker who holds the key to San Antonio’s title dreams. “He has been amazing,” Duncan said. “We have been riding his coattails. He has been carrying us. You see it tonight. He just takes over.” Popovich ranked the performance among the best he has seen from Parker. “He has had a lot of very good games. This one has to rank right up there,” Popovich said. “He has been fantastic. People just look at his scoring. He has played defense too.” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins agreed that Parker was the dominant force in the

Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket against Jerryd Bayless #7 of the Memphis Grizzlies in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs AFP/NBAE/JESSE D. GARRABRANT on Monday.

series despite a Spurs’ defense that kept the Grizzlies shooting only 37.2 percent from the field. “He was outstanding,” Hollins said of Parker. “He controled the whole series. He was huge. They earned the win. They deserved to move on. I’m proud of the way our team fought and battled. We gave ourselves a chance.” Parker, who scored 14 points in the third quarter, downplayed his own role, playing up Duncan’s 15 points and eight rebounds as well as the contributions of all his teammates. AFP

No place like the road

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: Defending NBA champion Miami, unbeaten away from home in five playoff games this year, approaches Tuesday’s critical contest at Indiana looking forward to a hostile atmosphere. “We’ve been able to come out and bring that championship pedigree with us and give ourselves a chance on the road,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. “All you can do on the road is give yourselves a chance. And we’ve played pretty well.” Miami rolled over the host

Pacers 114-96 on Sunday to seize a 2-1 lead in the best-ofseven Eastern Conference finals. The winner will meet either San Antonio or Memphis in the NBA Finals that begin on June 6. Asked to explain the Heat’s road success, NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James said he and his teammates simply enjoy a challenge. “I just think it’s the adversity, the opponents’ fans, that we love to come in and try to take a game from a team on their home floor,” James said. “We love feeling like it’s

just us by ourselves and against everyone else. The challenge we’re always up for.” Wade said the Heat, who won a league-high 66 games in the regular season, sense there is a reduced margin for error in away games. “It’s a tough environment. You’ve really got to be locked in,” Wade said. “At home you can make mistakes. You can get away with it. When you’re playing at home, you know your crowd, their energy. On the road you can’t make as many mistakes.” The Heat made a narrow escape in game one, needing a James layup at the buzzer to eke out a one-point victory over Indiana, and lost game two, but a victory at Indianapolis would put them on the brink of returning to the final. “As a team all together, we’re able to play off each other,” Wade said. “Whoever has it going, we can always just pull in.” Often it is James who has the hot hand, whether taking the shots or forcing double coverage that leaves a teammate open for a quick pass and a clear shot. AFP

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: Brazil’s Tony Kanaan collected $2.35 million on Monday from a total purse of more than $12 million for winning the 97th Indianapolis 500 with the fastest winning speed in race history. Kanaan completed 200 laps Sunday around the 2.5mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in 2 hrs 40 mins 3.4181 secs at 187.433 mph (301.644 km/h), breaking the old mark of 185.981 mph set by Dutchman Arie Luyendyk in 1990. A stretch of 130 laps in a row without a caution flag pushed Kanaan and his top rivals to keep racing at a pace unmatched in Indy history. “It was a fast race, a very fast race,” Kanaan said. “You can tell how tight the field was because in the past you always had the mix of drivers that would make mistakes and nobody did. I don’t recall doing more than one or two stops under green here ever in the past 11 years. Here we did almost all of them. I’m like, ‘Can we get a break so I can drink my water a little?’ So it was a fast race.”

SPORTS BRIEFS Bodies found may be that of missing Dutch duo MADRID: Spanish police found two bodies on Monday which they indicated were likely those of former Dutch international volleyball player Ingrid Visser and her partner, who have been missing since the middle of May. Visser, 35, and her partner Lodewijk Severein, 57, disappeared on May 13 shortly after checking into a hotel in Murcia. Their rental car was found nine days later on a street in the southeastern Spanish city. Their disappearance sparked intense media interest in the Netherlands and volunteers plastered the streets of Murcia with

posters calling for information about the whereabouts of the pair. Murcia police chief Cirilo Duran told a press conference that all the “outward signs” suggested that the bodies found belonged to the missing couple, but added that police are still awaiting results from a DNA analysis to confirm the findings. “What is clear is that it was a violent death,” he said. Duran said three people have been arrested in the case. Spanish media, citing sources close to the investigation, reported that the bodies were found in a shallow grave near Murcia. AFP

Our sport is clean: Nadal

PARIS: Rafael Nadal repeated his belief that tennis is a drugfree sport but urged the sport’s governing bodies on Monday to go public with how many — and how often — drug tests are carried out. Just three weeks ago, the seven-time French Open champion blasted the decision by a Spanish judge not to reveal the names of the athletes implicated in the infamous Operation Puerto doping case. “I find it unfair that the names of the cheats are not given, whether they’re Spanish or not,” said Nadal. On Monday, the 26-year-old called for testing in tennis to be

made more transparent to win over a public made increasingly sceptical by a deluge of doping controversies which peaked with the Lance Armstrong scandal. “If you make the controls public and everybody can know how many controls that everybody has, then you are not going to have these questions because you will know how many controls we will have. That’s my feeling,” said Nadal. “So why we cannot make everything clean? Why we cannot make everything public? Then we don’t have to come here and ask if we are overtested or, you know, AFP we are not tested enough.

sports TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

FRENCH OPEN

Djokovic set to begin assault PARIS: World number one Novak Djokovic, who needs a Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam, begins his French Open campaign on Tuesday against Belgium’s David Goffin. Top seed Djokovic, the runner-up to Rafael Nadal in Paris last year, has already defended his Australian Open in 2013 and halted Nadal’s attempt to win a ninth successive Monte Carlo Masters last month. Goffin, the 22-year-old, world number 57 from Liege, enjoyed a stunning debut at the French Open last year when he came through qualifying as a lucky loser to reach

the last 16 where he took a set off Federer before losing in four. “He’s got great potential in terms of his touch and the way he reads the game. He impressed me and I enjoyed the match," said Federer. Goffin has yet to get beyond the third round of a tour event in 2013. Also in action on Tuesday are women’s third seed Victoria Azarenka, the Australian Open champion, who faces Russia’s experienced Elena Vesnina. Azarenka has never got beyond the quarter-finals in Paris but she holds a 4-0 career

winning record over the 36ranked Vesnina who has suffered six first round losses at the French Open. Court Suzanne Lenglen will also play host to two of the tour’s senior citizens. German 12th seed Tommy Haas, 35, faces Guillaume Rufin of France while Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan, who is 43, faces Australian ninth seed Samantha Stosur, the former US Open champion. Fifty-seven players in the main draw this year weren’t even born when Date-Krumm made her French Open debut in 1999. AFP

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic practices during a training session on the eve of the start of the French Tennis Open tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, on Sunday. AFP/MARTIN BUREAU

Nadal survives scare, Sharapova serves up storm

PARIS: Rafael Nadal’s bid for an historic eighth French Open title was almost spectacularly derailed on Monday by big-hitting German Daniel Brands. But there were no such problems for defending women’s champion Maria Sharapova who eased past Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei in just 54 minutes, surrendering only eight points on serve. Seven-time champion Nadal dropped the opening set of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career before he prevailed 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-3 against a player who had lost all four of his previous matches in Paris. The Spaniard, who before this year had only lost once in 53 outings at Roland Garros, came into the tournament having won six titles in eight finals since he returned from a seventh-month injury lay-off. But the 26-year-old was caught cold by world number 59 Brands who unleashed a fearless barrage of attacks off both sides to leave the third seed reeling. It was almost a carbon copy of the tactics employed by Robin Soderling, the only man to beat Nadal in Paris four years ago, and Lukas Rosol, who dumped the Spaniard out of Wimbledon last year. Brands even led 3/0 in the second set tie-breaker as he appeared poised to deliver the first defeat of a men’s champion in the opening round in tournament history. But Nadal eventually found his

Spain’s Rafael Nadal returns to Germany’s Daniel Brands during their French Tennis Open first round match at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, on Monday. AFP/MIGUEL MEDINA

rhythm to steady the ship as the 25year-old German eventually ran out of firepower. “He was playing unbelievable. I tried to find my game and tried to resist his fantastic shots," said Nadal, who will face Martin Klizan of Slovakia for a place in the last 32 “He played a great match and put me in a tricky situation." Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych was the biggest casualty of the day when the 2010 semi-finalist fell to French wildcard Gael Monfils. Monfils, whose career has been plagued recently by a knee injury, tri-

umphed 7-6 (10/8), 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5 in a shade over four hours. The flamboyant 26-year-old Frenchman, a semi-finalist in 2008, will next tackle in-form Ernests Gulbis. “There was the adrenaline and the match and the crowd, but I didn’t think I would do this well," said Monfils, who was fresh from a runners-up place in Nice at the weekend. “It was a match up there in my top five." Sharapova brushed past hapless world number 42 Hsieh, 6-2, 6-1 and will next face Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard. AFP

Maria pledges tough love to photo buddy DAVE JAMES Agence France-Presse PARIS: Maria Sharapova (right) and highly-rated teenager Eugenie Bouchard have shared a sponsors’ photo-shoot, but the Russian superstar pledged no favours when the pair meet for a place in the French Open la st 32. Sharapova, the defending champion and world number two, and 19-yearold Bouchard, last year’s junior Wimbledon winner, are both on Nike’s books with the Canadian youngster even wearing on-court clothing designed by the Russian. However, Sharapova intends to put the world number 77, who won her maiden Grand Slam match on Monday, firmly in her place when they meet for the second time this year. “She’s still a competitor. I met her a few times. We actually did a shoot back in Melbourne together. She seems a very nice girl and obviously has a great game and is one to watch," said the champion. “But when you’re at that point in your career, every month is a learning experience for someone her age and at that level. “You have to respect anyone that’s across the net from you. There is a reason why they’re there, whether they have had a good week or a bad week or they’re not having a good month or they’re having a great month. “It just doesn’t matter, because you’re going to be facing them and your job is to try to beat them.

sports TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

NEW ZEALAND IN ENGLAND

Swann spins Eng to brink of win

Graeme Swann bowled England to the brink of victory against New Zealand in the second and fi nal Test at Headingley when he took four for 61 in 21.4 unchanged overs, extending his match haul to eight wickets, before bad light ended play on the fourth day.

England's Graeme Swann (L) celebrates with teammates Stuart Broad (2-L) Joe Root (3-L) and Alastair Cook (R) after claiming the wicket of New Zealand's Hamish Rutherford (Unseen) during the fourth day's play in the second Test match on Monday. AFP/ANDREW YATES

LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM: Graeme Swann bowled England to the brink of victory against New Zealand in the second and final Test at Headingley on Monday. The off-spinner took four for 61 in 21.4 unchanged overs, extending his match haul to eight wickets, before bad light ended the fourth day with New Zealand 158 for six. That left the Black Caps still

needing a further 310 runs to reach their victory target of 468. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was nought not out and Tim Southee four not out. The most any side has ever made in the fourth innings to win a Test is West Indies' 418 for seven against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03. And the corresponding record for New Zealand is the 325 for four they posted against Paki-

IPL FIXING SAGA Kirti questions silence over BCCI chief removal DARBHANGA (BIHAR): With BCCI chief N Srinivasan deciding not to quit, cricketer-turnedpolitician Kirti Azad (in pic) on MOnday wondered why both UPA and NDA were keeping silence on his removal and alleged no genuine effort were being made to clean up the mess. "Where are those keepers of high moral values in both UPA and NDA...why are not they raising voice on the removal of Srinivasan over IPL scandal?" the BJP MP asked. "These people who raise voice in Parliament on any political issue are not speaking in public over the spot fixing in IPL and removal of BCCI chief over the dirty episode," Azad told PTI. "The people who raised pitch of their voice to seek resignation of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yedurappa or NDA leaders who pressurised P K

Bansal and Ashwani Kumar to quit Manmohan Singh cabinet are silent over such a sensitive issue," the Lok Sabha member from Darbhanga said. Azad, a member of 1983 World Cup winning Indian team, said as a cricketer he was aghast over the prevailing muck in cricket and regretted that no genuine efforts were shown by the keepers of morality to clear the dirt from cricket which is regarded as religion in the country. PTI

stan in Christchurch in 1993/94. It seemed only forecast rain on Tuesday's final day could now deny England victory and a 2-0 series win. In that case, they might rue both captain Alastair Cook's decision not to enforce the follow-on on Sunday and indeed bat on after lunch on Monday in a match where the whole of Friday's first day was washed out without a ball bowled. Jonathan Trott, who pressed on to 76 on Monday after taking 69 balls Sunday to make 11 not out, defended England's approach. "We've had a great day with bat and ball and we're in a really strong position," he told BBC Radio's Test Match Special. "If we'd taken the weather into consideration we might have made them follow on," he added. "We're 1-0 up in the series so there's no need to chase the game, but we want to win every Test we play. You look at time and runs and you want to get it spot on, and I think we've done that." For Kiwis, only Ross Taylor, with a stylish 70, offered much in the way of significant resistance Monday before he was yorked

by Swann to leave New Zealand 154 for six. "England put the ball in the right areas and asked us questions, but we should be in a lot better position than we are at the moment," Taylor said. "It's another day tomorrow and we'll have to see what the weather gods have in store for us, but hopefully Brendon and Timmy can bat out time as we'll

New Zealand were 158/6 at the end of Day 4, leaving the Black Caps still needing a further 310 runs to reach their victory target of 468. see what will happen." In their first innings, New Zealand collapsed to 174 all out - although this was an improvement on the 68 they managed in the second innings of their 170run first Test defeat at Lord's. Stuart Broad, who took a Test-best seven for 44 at Lord's, removed Peter Fulton for five on Monday after he fended a rising delivery to Ian Bell in the gully.

SCORECARD England 1st Innings 354 New Zealand 1st Innings 174 England 2nd Innings (overnight: 116-1) A. Cook c Southee b Williamson 130 N. Compton c Rutherford b Williamson 7 J. Trott c McCullum b Wagner 76 I. Bell c Guptill b Williamson 6 J. Root c Guptill b Wagner 28 J. Bairstow not out 26 M. Prior not out 4 Extras (b8, lb1, w1) 10 Total (5 wkts dec, 76 overs) 287 Bowling: Boult 2-1-2-0; Southee 154-51-0; Wagner 17-3-67-2; Williamson 24-4-68-3; Bracewell 13-3-49-0 (1w); Guptill 5-0-41-0 New Zealand 2nd Innings P. Fulton c Bell b Broad 5 H. Rutherford c Root b Swann 42 K. Williamson lbw b Swann 3 R. Taylor b Swann 70 D. Brownlie c Bell b Finn 25 M. Guptill c Trott b Swann 3 B. McCullum not out 0 T. Southee not out 4 Extras (lb 6) 6 Total (6 wkts, 54.4 overs) 158 Bowling: Anderson 11-4-28-0; Broad 8-2-19-1; Swann 21.4-7-61-4; Finn 111-43-1; Root 3-2-1-0

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;No issues with GC teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Gavaskar feels that inclusion of IPL governing council members in the enquiry commission should not raise any doubt on the fairness of the probe.

NEW DELHI: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar feels that inclusion of IPL governing council members in the Commission to enquire into the charges levelled against Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan should not arise any doubts whatsoever on the fairness of the probe. BCCI president N Srinivasan on Sunday announced that the Meiyappan issue would be probed by a three-man Commission with two from the fivemember IPL Governing Council being members and that has led to questions on whether the inquiry would be fair or not. Gavaskar does not see any issue in two IPL GC members being part of the probe. "For us to doubt the integrity of the IPL GC members is not

It is not fair to doubt their [GC members] integrity only because they are going to probe the Gurunath issue. Sunil Gavaskar Former Indian skipper

just on. It is not fair to doubt their integrity only because of the fact that they are going to probe the Gurunath issue," Gavaskar said. "The BCCI has probed many things connected with internal matters of the Board and if there were no issues in those how can there be any problem in this case? The call of the three-man Commission will have to be respected," he told NDTV. On the speculation that former captain and IPL GC member Ravi Shastri could be a member of the Commission, Gavaskar said, "I don't know anything about the composition of the Commission, but I think Ravi would not be able to give much time in the coming days as he would be commentating during the CT in UK." PTI

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013

sports

NEYMAR SIGNS FIVE-YEAR DEAL WITH BARÇA

Brazilian football star Neymar on Monday signed a five-year contract with Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona and will travel to Spain next week for the official presentation. The 21-year-old star, whose full name is Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, announced his choice on his Instagram account.

BUNDESLIGA

Hoffenheim retain place

WC QUALIFIERS

Hoffenheim will remain in the Bundesliga next season after their 2-1 win at Kaiserslautern in the promotion/relegation play-off of the second leg. BERLIN: Hoffenheim will remain in the Bundesliga next season after their 2-1 win at Kaiserslautern in Monday’s promotion/relegation play-off, second leg. Danish defender Jannik Vestergaard’s late header sealed a 5-2 aggregate win which preserves Hoffenheim’s status in Germany’s top flight. After they won the first-leg 3-1 at home last Thursday, thanks to two first-half goals from Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino, Hoffenheim took the lead at Kaiserslautern’s sold-out Fritz Walter Stadium. Argentinian defender David Abraham headed home just a minute before the break. The hosts drew level when ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Alexander Baumjohann crashed home a direct free-kick on 65

Hoffenheim’s players celebrate their 2-1 victory after the German first and second Bundesliga Relegation football match 1 FC Kaiserslautern vs TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Kaiserslautern, Germany on Monday. Hoffenheim won the match and will remain in the1st division next season. AFP/DANIEL ROLAND

minutes. But Vestergaard popped up with the winner when he headed home from eight metres after a cross from Bosnia midfielder Sejad Salihovic. “I think we were very

focused and well prepared for what awaited us here,” said Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol, who only took charge last month after predecessor Marco Kurz was sacked. “We allowed them very little

and sought out our chances. “I think over the two legs, we were the better team. “Despite only having been together for a short time, we have found each other and become a team.” Having been second from bottom in the Bundesliga since February, Hoffenheim only escaped automatic relegation on the last day of the season on May 18. Their shock 2-1 win at Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund meant Hoffenheim finished 16th to qualify for the play-off against Kaiserslautern, who finished third in the second division. The 2013/14 season will be Hoffenheim’s sixth in Germany’s top-flight, while defeat means Kaiserslautern remain in the second division.

SERIE A

Napoli appoint Benitez as coach ROME: Rafael Benitez was appointed coach of Serie A side Napoli on Monday the club president announced. Benitez whose previous experience in Serie A was a painful short-lived spell with Inter Milan had been widely expected to be named and Napoli supremo Aurelio De Laurentiis tweet confirmed that to be the case. “Rafa Benitez is the new coach of Napoli,” tweeted De Laurentiis “He is a man of experience and a true leader.”

Benitez, who had also been linked with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, had a successful spell in charge of Chelsea after replacing the sacked Champions League winning coach Roberto di Matteo. The Spaniard guided Chelsea to the Europa League crown and also helped them qualify for next season’s Champions League after being brought in on a short-term basis. However, despite being popular with owner Roman

Abramovich he never won over the supporters, who verbally abused him from the stands from the start. The Chelsea fans yearned for the return of their adored Jose Mourinho, after he largely failed at Real Madrid, and appear likely to get their wish. Benitez was to sign a two year contract with the option of extending it by a further year and an annual salary of 3.5million euros.

US lose trio to injuries CLEVELAND, OHIO: Injuries have forced midfielder Maurice Edu and left back Corey Ashe off the US national team roster ahead of two friendlies this week ahead of World Cup 2014 qualifying matches in June. The US Soccer Federation announced the setbacks on Monday, two days before the Americans play host to Belgium with another match on Sunday at Washington against Germany, the homeland team of US coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Edu has a sports hernia that was diagnosed after he returned to English Premier League club Stoke City following a loan to Turkish side Buraspor. Houston’s Ashe suffered a groin strain in a 1-1 Major League Soccer draw Sunday against Kansas City. He had been called in only for the Belgium match. Another US midfielder for Stoke City, Brek Shea, dropped out with a strained right calf. He will travel to Dallas for treatment and return to the squad when he is fit but no timetable was set for his possible return.

AFP

EXPLOSIVE CLASH

FA to warn England fans over Irish taunts

LONDON: The Football Association will ask every England fan attending Wednesday’s potentially explosive clash with the Republic of Ireland not to sing offensive songs during the friendly. England’s last meeting with the Republic 18 years ago had to be abandoned after 27 minutes due to rioting by visiting fans at Dublin’s Lansdowne

Road. The violent political history between the two countries means there is potential for trouble, and for offensive chanting such as the ‘no surrender (to the IRA)’ song, to take place. With 10,000 Irish fans due at Wembley, the FA are keen to ensure Wednesday passes off as peacefully as possible and

will send an email to every England supporter who has a ticket to the match, requesting that they refrain from chanting songs which might cause offence. In the email, which will be sent to fans on Tuesday, England manager Roy Hodgson says: “Ahead of the Ireland fixture, on behalf of The FA, I would like to ask our sup-

porters to please respect our opponents and welcome them in the right way. “Wembley is considered the world over as the home of football and we ask those attending to not take part in any chanting - particularly of a religious or political perspective - which could cause offence to our visitors or fellow fans.” AFP